Will synthetic pitch sideline Lucas for São Paulo v Palmeiras? | OneFootball

São Paulo secured its spot in the semifinals of the Paulistão, where they will face a classic match against Palmeiras, with the rival hosting. Even though they won’t have their own arena, which is in the final stages of a turf replacement, the opponent will count on the controversial synthetic grass, as the match will be held at Arena Barueri.

Openly against the use of synthetic turf, midfielder Lucas Moura was usually rested on such occasions, especially due to his physical condition, which has not been ideal since March of last year, when he was injured precisely in the semifinal against Palmeiras at their stadium.

However, for the Choque-Rei clash, Lucas will be present. The number 7 has already informed the Tricolor, according to ESPN, that he will always be available for decisive matches, such as the upcoming state championship game this weekend.

The São Paulo Football Federation (FPF) has yet to officially announce the dates and venues for the semifinals, but it is already known that the stadium in Barueri will host the classic. The venue benefits São Paulo, who see Palmeiras’ second home in good condition, with a new pitch that has been receiving praise.

Thus, Lucas, who has regained his spot in Hernán Crespo’s starting lineup, should start for Tricolor against their green-clad rivals as they seek a spot in the state final.

The São Paulo idol started the season still quite out of rhythm, due to an inconsistent 2025, but little by little has been regaining his best form.

He has already played 11 matches so far, with three goals scored and one assist, numbers almost equal to last season, when he found the net five times and provided one assist in just 26 games played.

Tricolor secured its place in the Paulistão semifinal after an away victory over Bragantino by 2-1 last Saturday (21), the same day Palmeiras qualified by thrashing Capivariano 4-0. Novorizontino and Corinthians will play in the other semi.

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