After cup exit, Palmeiras enjoy best defensive form this year | OneFootball

After being eliminated by Corinthians in the quarterfinals of the Copa do Brasil, Palmeiras has found its best defensive moment of the semester. In the last six games, the team has only conceded two goals, showing greater consistency and safety in the rearguard.

The recent record includes victories over Sport (3-0), Botafogo (1-0), Universitario (4-0), and Ceará (2-1), as well as draws against Universitario (0-0) and Corinthians (1-1).

This period of defensive improvement, with the recovery and rise of the duo Murilo and Gustavo Gómez, began right after the 2-0 defeat to Corinthians on August 6 and reflects a significant improvement compared to the beginning of the season.

Before this good phase, Palmeiras was under suspicion from the fans, after irregular results and, above all, poor performances this semester, which began on the first day of July.

The team had suffered important defeats and draws, such as the loss to Chelsea in the Club World Cup, the draw with Mirassol (1-1), a narrow victory over Atlético-MG (3-2), triumph over Fluminense (2-1) and defeat to Corinthians (1-0) in the Copa do Brasil. The elimination to Timão in the quarterfinals, with a 2-0 defeat at Allianz Parque, marked a critical moment.

Next game

Palmeiras faces Internacional next Saturday (13), at 6:30 pm, at Allianz Parque, for the 23rd round of the Brazilian Championship. In the first round, in Porto Alegre, Verdão won 1-0, with a goal from Facundo Torres, and seeks to repeat the result at home to stay in the fight for the top positions of the table.

Preparation for the clash

On Monday (8), the green squad returned to the Football Academy and carried out training with muscle activation, power exercises, and positional work focused on constructions of plays through the middle and finishes. Raphael Veiga advanced in the physical transition and participated as a "joker", while Maurício followed an individualized schedule after back pains.

Abel Ferreira has not yet counted on the players called up for the Fifa Date, but hopes to have them for the final stretch of preparation.

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