How Santos aim to find form and ease pressure before Neymar’s return | OneFootball

Santos visit Athletico-PR on Thursday at 19:00 Brasília time in the third round of the Campeonato Brasileiro, seeking back-to-back wins after ending a damaging slump.

After opening the season by beating Novorizontino in the Campeonato Paulista, Juan Pablo Vojvoda’s side went seven matches without a win, four draws and three defeats. According to Globo.com, they entered the penultimate round of the state phase under relegation threat and began this league round in the drop zone with one point from two games.

That run ended on Sunday with victory over Noroeste, removing the immediate danger in the state competition and keeping quarter-final hopes alive. Attention now shifts to reviving league form in Curitiba.

A positive result could ease pressure on Vojvoda and the hierarchy. President Marcelo Teixeira and football executive Alexandre Mattos have faced criticism over squad building and delayed reinforcements.

It would also help create a calmer setting for Neymar. The forward has trained with the squad for two weeks and is scheduled to face Velo Clube on Sunday at Vila Belmiro in the Paulista. That would be his first official game since a December arthroscopy on his left knee and since agreeing a contract renewal late last year.

The board hope this upswing can reconnect supporters. Early in the Paulistão, home games were selling out, but attendances have dipped, with 13,091 against Novorizontino, 13,693 versus Corinthians and 10,280 against São Paulo. During the São Paulo match, organised groups staged the year’s first protests, sitting in silence before unveiling critical banners.

Source: Globo.com