With midfield absences, see São Paulo’s options to face Grêmio | OneFootball

Grêmio and São Paulo face off this Thursday at 7:00 p.m. (Brasília time) at Arena do Grêmio, for the 28th round of the Brazilian Championship. The clash draws extra attention for the Tricolor from São Paulo, which will have several absences in midfield and will need Hernán Crespo’s strategy to overcome the sector’s limitations.

Among the absences, Oscar is a confirmed out after suffering a muscle injury in his left calf. Pablo Maia will serve a suspension due to an accumulation of yellow cards, while Bobadilla, who represented Paraguay during the FIFA break, will be rested. In addition, Luan remains in the medical department.

With these absences, the remaining midfielders are: Luiz Gustavo, Alisson, Marcos Antônio, and Rodriguinho, leaving Crespo with limited options.

If he opts for a 3-5-2, with three center-backs and five midfielders, with Enzo Díaz and Cédric acting as wing-backs, the coach will have only one substitute available or will need to turn to a homegrown player, such as Negrucci. In a 4-4-2, it would be possible to set up two holding midfielders and two attacking midfielders to make better use of the squad at hand.

Another alternative would be the traditional 4-3-3, which would work similarly to the 3-5-2, but with the midfielders taking on greater defensive responsibility. Without the two wing-backs, the team would occupy less space in that area, and the three holding midfielders would need to work harder, both in marking and in building play, ensuring balance between defense and attack.

The Tricolor from São Paulo is stuck in eighth place in the Brasileirão, with 38 points (10 wins, 8 draws, and 9 losses), and is coming off a defeat to Palmeiras at Morumbi in the 27th round.

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