São Paulo woes continue: Sabino, Rafael out for Fluminense clash | OneFootball

If São Paulo fans never have a peaceful day, imagine coach Hernán Crespo.

Not everything was rosy for the coach after the 2-1 victory over Juventude this Sunday (23) at Vila Belmiro, since the tricolor boss will have to rack his brains due to two new absences: goalkeeper Rafael and defender Sabino received their third yellow cards and will serve automatic suspensions in the match against Fluminense, at 8:30 p.m. (Brasília time) next Thursday (27), at Maracanã.

The match is crucial for their ambitions and marks the reunion with coach Luis Zubeldía, who was dismissed in June.

For the tricolor’s objectives, the replacement is obvious: Young should replace Rafael. The 23-year-old goalkeeper earned the spot as immediate backup after Jandrei left on loan precisely to Juventude. He has already played two official matches for the club and this year has been listed for another 24 games.

The real issue is filling Sabino’s spot. The other two options in the squad for that position, Rafael Tolói and Arboleda, are sidelined with injuries and haven’t even started their transition back, which could have offered some hope for them to play in Rio de Janeiro (RJ).

Without these three, Crespo will either bet on a youth player from the academy (Isac is the defender who has been given a chance to sit on the bench with the coach) or do what he’s done in other situations, improvising a defensive midfielder in the back line. Luiz Gustavo and Negrucci have already played as part of the back three in this Brasileirão.

On the bright side for the coach, he will get a reinforcement for this match. Alisson returns after serving a suspension and will be available.

Among the injured, Calleri, Dinenno, and Rodriguinho began their transition last week and, who knows, may be cleared to play.

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