Palmeiras line-up: Felipe Anderson hit by fresh injury in training | OneFootball

Palmeiras wrapped up their preparations on Saturday morning (31) at the Academia de Futebol for the upcoming match against Botafogo-SP, scheduled for this Sunday (01) at 8:30 PM at Estádio Santa Cruz, in Ribeirão Preto (SP), for the sixth round of the Campeonato Paulista.

After muscle activation at the Excellence Center, the squad went to the field for drills focused on building plays, crosses, and finishing. Afterwards, the players took part in a technical activity in a reduced space.

Palmeiras Medical Department

In physical transition, midfielder Lucas Evangelista returned to training with the group, but still with some restrictions. Meanwhile, Felipe Anderson suffered a sprain in his left ankle after a collision during Friday's (30) training session and has started treatment at the Health and Performance Center.

The Verdão delegation will have lunch in the capital and then travel to the interior of São Paulo later this Saturday. Even with the possibility of changes to the team, Verdão boasts a strong record against Botafogo-SP. Palmeiras is unbeaten in 11 matches against this opponent (nine wins and two draws) since their last defeat, which occurred in the 2014 Campeonato Paulista, in Ribeirão Preto.

During this period, they have conceded only two goals and have kept a clean sheet in eight consecutive games. As visitors, they are unbeaten in five matches against their rivals, with three wins and two draws, all without conceding a goal—including the 0-0 draw in their last meeting at Estádio Santa Cruz, for the 2024 Copa do Brasil.

Estádio Santa Cruz also brings back good memories for the Greatest Champion of Brazil. In total, Palmeiras has played 50 matches at the venue, with 24 wins, 18 draws, and eight losses, facing clubs such as Botafogo-SP, Corinthians, São Paulo, Santo André, among others.

The only club to have played in the last six finals of the Campeonato Paulista, Verdão has advanced to the knockout stage in the last 15 editions of the competition and is the only team to have reached the semifinals in the last 12, reinforcing its dominance in the state scene.

Alternative Lineup

With the aim of controlling players' minutes and preventing physical wear and tear at the start of the season, the coaching staff is expected to opt for a heavily rotated team for the match in the interior of São Paulo. The tendency is for some regular starters to begin on the bench, making room for players with fewer appearances in the state championship.

Upcoming Palmeiras Matches

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