Corinthians ready to face Ponte Preta in Copa Paulista 2026 opener

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Central do Timão

·10 janvier 2026

Corinthians ready to face Ponte Preta in Copa Paulista 2026 opener

By Henrique Pereira / Central do Timão Editorial Team

Corinthians officially kicks off the 2026 season this Sunday (11). Starting at 4:00 PM (Brasília time), the Alvinegro Paulista hosts Ponte Preta at Neo Química Arena, in a match valid for the first round of the Campeonato Paulista. The game will be broadcast live on TNT and the HBO Max platform.

For the State Championship opener, the team led by Dorival Júnior wrapped up their preparations on Saturday morning at CT Dr. Joaquim Grava. The session began with a video presentation featuring tactical instructions in the Flexform Briefing Room, continuing the plan set by the coaching staff.

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Photo: Rodrigo Coca/Ag. Corinthians

Afterwards, the players did strength training in the gym before heading to the pitch, where they went through warm-ups and ball work. Dorival Júnior led two tactical drills during the session, adjusting the team’s positioning and movement for the match against Ponte Preta. Set-piece plays were also part of the final training session before the opener.

As the current state champions, Corinthians looks to start the season on the right foot, but will likely field a depleted team, lining up with: Hugo Souza; Matheuzinho, André Ramalho, Gustavo Henrique, and Matheus Bidu (Hugo Farias); Charles, André Luiz, André Carrillo (Matheus Bidu), and Breno Bidon; Vitinho and Gui Negão.

Corinthians begins the Campeonato Paulista dealing with several squad issues. Midfielder Raniele is still in the process of physical recovery and on Saturday only did activities on the pitch. He played at his physical limit in last season’s final and is not yet in ideal condition. Meanwhile, José Martínez remains out of the country: the midfielder has not yet returned from vacation and is in Venezuela trying to resolve bureaucratic issues related to his work visa.

The attacking sector may also suffer important absences. Starting forwards Yuri Alberto and Memphis Depay are unlikely to be available. Yuri was in Italy last week, with the club’s permission, to complete his Italian citizenship process. He returned to training only on Friday and is still considered doubtful. Memphis, on the other hand, has not participated in ball activities and is working on physical strengthening, after having played through injury in the Copa do Brasil final, in which he scored one of the goals.

Other situations also affect the squad’s formation. Left-back Fabrizio Angileri, who came on in the final minutes of the final, had his contract expire at the end of 2025 and is still discussing a possible renewal with the club. Rodrigo Garro, who played in the second half of the final, suffered a fracture in the scaphoid bone of his left wrist and underwent surgery last Wednesday.

Among the players returning from loan, only Pedro Raul is in coach Dorival Júnior’s plans. Renato and Alex Santana train at alternate times, as does Héctor Hernández, who has been sidelined since 2024, as they are not in the coaching staff’s plans. In addition, defender Félix Torres, who is negotiating a loan to Internacional, has also not participated in recent activities.

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