Corinthians still sweating on Memphis and Raniele for the derby | OneFootball

Corinthians was defeated by Bragantino this Thursday and is now already thinking about the next round of the Paulista Championship. This Sunday, Timão will host São Paulo at Neo Química Arena, for the third round of the State Championship. Dorival Júnior still has some doubts for the derby.

Forward Memphis Depay and midfielder Raniele still have an uncertain presence in the Majestoso. According to the coach, the midfielder is still feeling pain, while the Dutch striker is resuming ball training this week.

The duo had been working on strengthening because they played through injury in the 2025 Copa do Brasil final. Meanwhile, midfielder Rodrigo Garro, who underwent surgery on his left wrist, is a confirmed absence.

“Raniele is still feeling some lingering pain, so we are being extra careful. Memphis hasn’t come out to the field yet. Today I think he’ll do his first field work. It’s still very early, he was out for a long time. We have to wait,” said Dorival in a press conference.

(Photo: Rodrigo Coca/Agência Corinthians)

Yuri Alberto’s Return

On the other hand, Corinthians had an important return in Bragança Paulista: Yuri Alberto. The striker reported back later than the others due to a trip to Italy to obtain European citizenship.

The number 9 started the match on the bench and came on in the second half. However, he missed two goal chances and couldn’t prevent Timão’s defeat.

And Martínez?

As for José Martínez, the situation is more complex. The midfielder is still ‘stuck’ in Venezuela waiting for his passport to be reissued. With the US military attack that resulted in the capture of President Nicolás Maduro, some public services were interrupted or started operating more slowly, causing the player to stay in the country longer than planned.

Asked about it, Dorival Júnior said Martínez’s case is an “enigma” and there is no return date. The athlete has been doing physical exercises and is being monitored by Corinthians remotely.

“Martínez is an enigma. Up to now, I don’t know, I don’t have an answer,” said the coach.

Meanwhile, the reinforcements Matheus Pereira and Pedro Milans, who are close to being announced, still should not be available to Dorival for the derby. The coach first wants to understand each player’s physical condition before putting them on the field.

Defender Gabriel Paulista is considered an exception, since he had been playing regularly for Besiktas, in Turkey.

Standings Situation

Corinthians suffered its first defeat in the Paulistão and dropped down the tournament’s standings. Timão is now in eighth place, with three points.

Corinthians’ Next Match

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