Enderson coy on Rômulo for Copa do Brasil final v Palmeiras | OneFootball

The presence of Rômulo in the final of the Campeonato Paulista, between Novorizontino and Palmeiras, is still an open question. This Tuesday, on the eve of the first match of the final, Tigre’s coach Enderson Moreira kept Rômulo’s participation a mystery.

Since Rômulo is on loan from Palmeiras, Novorizontino must pay a fine of R$ 1 million if they want to use the player in the finals. As the Paulistão final will be played over two matches, the total cost to use the player in both games would reach R$ 2 million.

“Regarding Rômulo, we are discussing a contractual issue. R$ 1 or R$ 2 million is a lot of money for a club from the countryside. We regret it if we can’t count on him, we would like to have everyone, but it’s a contract. It’s under evaluation, if he doesn’t play, we can’t keep lamenting. We have to praise those who will have the opportunity, everyone is prepared for this,” said Enderson Moreira at the finalists’ press conference, at the FPF headquarters.

Rômulo has played nine matches this season, with six goals and three assists. He is Novorizontino’s second top scorer in 2026, only behind Robson, who has seven goals.

Palmeiras maintains a firm stance: if Tigre wants to use the midfielder in the finals, they will have to pay the fine stipulated in the contract.

Photo: Pedro Zacchi/Ag.Paulistão/Sua Foto No Jogo

“Notorious” favoritism

Enderson admits that favoritism in the Paulistão final is “notorious” and on Palmeiras’ side. However, he emphasizes that nothing is won yet.

“Of course we have a favorite. That doesn’t mean it’s already won. Other teams were also favorites against us. We are not a team that only defends, we control spaces that we think are important. We often use ball possession to determine if a team is better or not, but it isn’t everything. We have a team with qualities in all areas of the field,” said the coach.

The coach also spoke about the feeling of playing in the State final and possibly winning an unprecedented title for Novorizontino. He revealed that he didn’t believe in reaching the final after the victory over Corinthians last Saturday in the semifinals.

“I only believed in qualifying for the final when the game against Corinthians ended. I got home and thought I was dreaming,” he joked.

“Achievements are special. Our life is full of sacrifice, we give up a lot. I took part in the 2015 Paulista with Santos. I was leading the championship and was fired. That left a bitter taste. Time knows all things. It’s very surprising for us to reach the final, I never tire of praising the players, we went through a big transformation, we had little time to work. For a club from the countryside to reach a final is an achievement. These are two very tough matches, we know the quality of Palmeiras, but we’re here to do our best and maybe go after a special title,” he concluded.

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The 2026 Paulistão finals will be played this Wednesday and Sunday. The first leg will take place at Arena Barueri, with Palmeiras as the home team. The second match will be in Novo Horizonte.

Palmeiras, current runners-up of the State Championship, are seeking their 27th title. Last year, the team was defeated by Corinthians. Abel Ferreira’s team knocked out Capivariano and São Paulo to reach the final.

Novorizontino, meanwhile, is trying to lift the trophy for the first time in its history. Tigre has the best campaign of this edition of the tournament and left behind Santos and Corinthians.

Finals details

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