Sul-Americana: Vasco name squad for opener against Barracas Central

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·6 avril 2026

Sul-Americana: Vasco name squad for opener against Barracas Central

Vasco’s delegation is already on Argentine soil for its first international challenge of the year. The club flew out on Sunday night (05) to Buenos Aires, where it will face Barracas Central in the opening round of the group stage of the 2026 Copa Sudamericana. Prioritizing recovery for the domestic tournament, the club traveled with an alternative squad.

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Vasco’s squad list and who will be in charge

To manage the physical wear and tear on the main squad, the coaching staff decided to rest its key starters. The group traveling to Argentina includes 25 players and will be led from the sidelines by assistant coach Marcelo Salles. The team will hold a training session this Monday (06) at the training facilities of Boca Juniors. The match against Barracas Central is scheduled for Tuesday (07), at 7 p.m. (Brasília time), at Florencio Sola stadium in Banfield.

The Vasco players called up for the trip are:

Goalkeepers: Fuzato, Philipe Gabriel and Pablo.
Defenders: Puma, Breno Vereza, Cuesta, Lucas Freitas, Wallace Falcão, Bruno André, Avelar and Alisson.
Midfielders: Hugo Moura, JP, Samuel, Ramon Rique, Gustavo Guimarães, Matheus França and Zucarello.
Forwards: Adson, Marino, JV Fonseca, Nuno Moreira, Spinelli, Andrey Fernandes and Juninho.

Renato Gaúcho’s strategy at Vasco

The decision to use an alternative lineup was strongly defended by coach Renato Gaúcho. With a packed schedule that includes 16 more matches by the end of May, the coach described the pre-World Cup period as a true “war.” The club’s absolute focus right now is the Brazilian Championship and preventing injuries in a squad considered too thin to compete in three tournaments at once.

The manager explained Vasco’s logistical planning for the coming days:

“There’s no way to take everyone to Argentina, come back, and then cross all of Brazil to go to Belém. Players are human, they’re not made of iron. […] The priority is the Brazilian league. But there’s no point insisting, playing guys, with a reduced squad, and losing even more players to the medical department.”

He also reiterated the need to strengthen the team in midyear, revealing talks with the board to bring in three to four marquee names in the next transfer window.