Memphis and Ramalho may return for Corinthians vs Inter, Dorival says | OneFootball

Corinthians had a total of five absences in their 2-1 defeat to Flamengo last Sunday at the Neo Química Arena, for the 25th round of the Brazilian Championship. Memphis, Garro, Carrillo, and Charles were already known absences, while defender André Ramalho was a last-minute withdrawal announced by the club.

Memphis Depay is recovering from swelling in the posterior muscle of his right thigh, while André Ramalho has been diagnosed with a strain in the same muscle.

The Dutchman has been out since September 10, when he felt the muscle problem in his thigh. On that occasion, the number 10 started for Corinthians in the second leg of the Copa do Brasil against Athletico-PR after playing almost 165 minutes during the FIFA international break.

Coach Dorival Júnior, however, believes he will not have either Memphis or André Ramalho available against Internacional. According to the coach, the forward has not even started ball work, while the defender has just been injured.

“I don't believe we'll have Memphis [Depay] or André Ramalho at this moment. Memphis hasn't even touched a ball yet. We are waiting for this transition to happen, monitoring the process daily, and hoping for a quicker recovery,” said Dorival.

In Memphis Depay's absence, Gui Negão has been getting opportunities in the starting lineup. The 18-year-old has made the most of his chances and, against Flamengo, provided the assist for Yuri Alberto's goal. In the last seven games, the homegrown talent has scored four goals and provided two assists.

Memphis, for his part, has eight goals and ten assists in 38 matches (31 as a starter) for Corinthians this season.

André Ramalho felt injury during extra training

André Ramalho was training without restrictions alongside his teammates until last Thursday. The defender was expected to be included in the squad for the match against Flamengo, and the expectation was that he would start alongside Gustavo Henrique.

After the end of Thursday's training session, the defender did some extra work with the club's fitness coaches. Gazeta Esportiva has learned that it was at this moment that Ramalho initially felt the problem in his thigh. As a result, the number 5 missed the last two training sessions before Sunday's game.

Extra training sessions are a usual routine for André Ramalho. The defender was already doing such complementary activities even before Dorival Júnior arrived at Corinthians.

This season, André Ramalho has played 37 matches, starting 34 of them. The defender has not scored or assisted any goals.

Without André Ramalho and with Gustavo Henrique considered a starter, Dorival has three other options in the squad: Cacá, Félix Torres, and João Pedro Tchoca. The homegrown talent seems to have the coach's greatest trust among the three, as he started in Ramalho's place against Flamengo.

Standings Situation

The result was terrible for Corinthians, who suffered their second consecutive defeat in the Brasileirão and remained in 12th place, with the same 29 points as at the start of the round. Timão still has a seven-point lead over Juventude, who are the first team in the relegation zone.

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