Corinthians loanee Diego Palacios left out of Universidad Católica clásico for technical reasons | OneFootball

Diego Palacios, on loan from Corinthians, was left out of Universidad Católica's squad for the clásico with Barcelona de Guayaquil, which the hosts won 2-1 in Quito on 21 July.

According to Meu Timao, head coach Diego Martínez said the omission was a technical decision, with Eddy Mejía and Eric Valencia preferred.

On 6 July he made his first start in almost nine months in a 3-2 defeat to Mushuc Runa at the same venue, playing 63 minutes before being replaced by Valencia.

Before being omitted again, he made two successive cameos after more than a month without action and four games as an unused substitute. He has 10 outings for Católica totalling 224 minutes, an average of 22.4 per match, after returning to Ecuador early 2026 following four months with Karpaty in Ukraine.

Católica visit Guayaquil City on Monday at 18:30 Brasília time, aiming to retain second place. They have 35 points, 20 behind leaders Independiente del Valle, with nine rounds left in the first phase.

Palacios joined Corinthians in early 2024 on a free after leaving Los Angeles FC, but left-knee injuries restricted him to four games. He moved to Karpaty on loan in August 2025, played twice, then dropped out of squads.

His Católica loan runs to the end of 2026, and his Corinthians contract to December 2027. The move cut the club's wage bill by roughly R$ 2.6 million.

Source: Meu Timao