Defender could miss Corinthians friendly against Cascavel, here's why | OneFootball

Next Sunday (12), at 4 p.m. (Brasília time), Corinthians will visit FC Cascavel, from Paraná, at the Estádio Olímpico Regional Jacy Miguel Scanagatta, in a mid-season friendly. According to Meu Timão, center-back Gustavo Henrique is expected to miss the match due to discomfort and should not travel with the Corinthians squad.

According to information from ge.globo, the defender has not been taking part in the team’s most recent training sessions at CT Dr. Joaquim Grava and, in recent days, has been training indoors at the training center due to pain in the hip flexor area. Before the warm-up match, Timão will train on Thursday, Friday, and Saturday.

Photo: Rodrigo Coca/Agência Corinthians

This season, Gustavo Henrique has been one of Corinthians’ key players. He is the third-highest scorer in the current squad this season, with four goals, behind only forward Yuri Alberto (six) and midfielder André Luiz (five). The center-back has played in 30 of the team’s 37 matches in 2026.

Therefore, if Gustavo Henrique is unavailable, coach Fernando Diniz has the following options for the position: Gabriel Paulista, André Ramalho, and João Pedro Tchoca. The latter has not played since mid-March after suffering a groin hernia injury and undergoing surgery. In recent weeks, the No. 4 has been training normally with the rest of the squad and is available to return to the pitch.

Officially, Alvinegro will play again on July 23 at 7:30 p.m. (Brasília time) in Itaquera, in the final match of the first half of the Brazilian Championship. Corinthians currently sit 10th in the national tournament with 24 points — six wins, six draws, and six losses — with 18 goals scored and 19 conceded.

Signed at the beginning of 2024 after spells with Fenerbahçe in Turkey and Real Valladolid in Spain, Gustavo Henrique quickly became a key player for Corinthians. Wearing the No. 13 shirt, he played a major role in Timão’s surge in the 2024 Brasileirão (from the relegation zone to the Libertadores qualifiers — seventh place with 56 points), and was also a starter in the title wins in the Campeonato Paulista (2025), Copa do Brasil (2025), and Supercopa do Brasil (2026), against Palmeiras, Vasco da Gama, and Flamengo, respectively. In a Corinthians shirt, he has 10 goals and four assists in 105 matches. His contract runs until December 2027.

This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇧🇷 here.