Ponte Preta in crisis after Série C title, face Corinthians next

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Central do Timão

·11 janvier 2026

Ponte Preta in crisis after Série C title, face Corinthians next

By Vinícios Cotrim | Central do Timão Editorial Team

Corinthians takes the field this Sunday afternoon (11), for the first round of the 2026 Paulista Championship. The match kicks off at the Neo Química Arena at 4 PM (Brasília time), against a financially troubled Ponte Preta with an incomplete squad due to a transfer ban.

Theoretically, the Macaca was expected to come into the state championship on a high after gaining promotion to the Brazilian second division, which came with a title, the Série C – the first national achievement in the club's history. However, the financial crisis prevented the Campinas team from maintaining its momentum.

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Photo: Marcos Ribolli/Ponte Press

Due to debts, Ponte Preta has an active transfer ban and could not register the 11 reinforcements hired for this season. As a result, they had to look to the Copinha squad and promote eight players to face Corinthians, either as starters or among the substitutes.

The probable Macaca lineup should be Diogo Silva; Pacheco, Saimon, Diego Leão, and João Gabriel; Rodrigo Souza, Gustavo Telles, and Élvis; Diego Tavares, Bruno Lopes, and Jeh. All of these players were already with the Campinas club last year, and Diego Leão was with the team in the Copinha.

During the pre-season, the squad decided to halt training due to delayed salaries, a reason that led to the departure of some players. In some cases, the delays reached up to five months without payment.

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