Gustavo Santana tops São Paulo list for Boca tie in Copa Sul-Americana | OneFootball

São Paulo made three changes to its list of 50 players registered for the remainder of the Copa Sudamericana, where the team advanced to the quarterfinals after eliminating Bolívar over two matches.

The coaching staff led by Dorival Júnior added forward Gustavo Santana, who stood out in Tricolor’s most recent win, as well as right-back Lucyan and goalkeeper João Nazari, both of whom still play for the under-20 team.

In the first leg of the continental competition’s quarterfinals, São Paulo will face Boca Juniors next Tuesday (8) at 9:30 p.m. (Brasília time) at La Bombonera Stadium in Buenos Aires. The return leg will be one week later, at the same time, but at Morumbi.

Who left?

The spots in the registered squad were opened up by the departures of left-back Guilherme Reis, defensive midfielder Hugo, and goalkeeper Young. The latter two were part of the senior squad and are in the process of leaving the club.

Hugo was loaned to Mito Hollyhock of Japan, while Young is awaiting the definition of a new destination on the market after talks with Portimonense of Portugal fell through.

Cotia spotlight

Gustavo Santana’s inclusion reflects the young forward’s growth in the senior squad throughout the season, solidified after he scored one of the goals in the win over Bragantino last Saturday (8/29).

The São Paulo board’s intention was to have already registered the player for the round of 16 against Bolívar, but the limit of five changes allowed by Conmebol for that stage had already been used on the newly signed reinforcements: Domingos Duarte, Aurélio Buta, Iago, Newton, and Victor Sá.

Right-back Lucyan, who can also play in midfield and on the wing and was one of the standout players in the Copa São Paulo de Futebol Júnior campaign, took part in training sessions with the senior team in recent months to provide depth in the position during Igor Felisberto’s medical recovery period. Goalkeeper João Nazari completes the trio of new under-20 additions.

Under Conmebol regulations, up to three substitutions are allowed on the registered list for the quarterfinal stage. If São Paulo gets past Boca Juniors and secures a place in the semifinals of the tournament, the club will be able to make up to three more changes to the group of eligible players.

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