Set to start v Inter in Copa do Brasil, Corinthians man eyes first goal | OneFootball

On Sunday night (2), at 7:30 p.m. (Brasília time), Corinthians visit Internacional in the first leg of the Copa do Brasil round of 16 at Beira-Rio Stadium. Timão are defending their status as the current champions of the competition and are once again looking to secure a place in the quarterfinals after eliminating Barra-SC in the fifth round.

Despite having one of the team’s main players from recent seasons confirmed as unavailable, the match represents an opportunity for midfielder Jesse Lingard, who is expected to start against the Colorado side, to end his goal drought for Corinthians. The Englishman has not found the net for Timão since April 30, when he scored in the 2-0 win over Peñarol in Itaquera in the third round of the Conmebol Libertadores group stage.

Photo: Rodrigo Coca/Agência Corinthians

Since then, he has played ten times in a Corinthians shirt without scoring. In 20 matches for the club from Parque São Jorge — nine wins, six draws and five losses, a 55% success rate — since arriving at the beginning of March, he has scored two goals and provided one assist. His first goal for Timão came on April 21, in the 1-0 win over Barra-SC at Ressacada, in the first leg of the Copa do Brasil fifth round.

So far, Corinthians have earned R$ 5 million in prize money in the Copa do Brasil — R$ 2 million just for taking part in the fifth round and the rest for securing a place in the round of 16. If they advance to the quarterfinals, they will collect another R$ 4 million. It is worth remembering that Alvinegro have four titles in the tournament, the most recent coming in 2025, when they beat Vasco da Gama 2-1 at the Maracanã in the final.

Before joining Corinthians at the start of the current season, the No. 77 played for FC Seoul of South Korea in the 2024 and 2025 seasons. There, he recorded 19 goals and 11 assists in 67 matches. Developed in the youth ranks of Manchester United in England, and with a spell in the club’s senior team, he also had stints with other English clubs such as Leicester City, Brighton, West Ham, and Nottingham Forest. In 2018, he played in the World Cup in Russia for England.

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