Neymar trains with Santos, set to face Sport in Copa do Brasil | OneFootball

Santos wrapped up their preparations this Thursday to face Sport in the 36th round of the Brazilian Championship. Neymar trained on the field once again and took part in the tactical session with the rest of the squad at Vila Belmiro.

The attacking midfielder, therefore, is expected to play against Leão this Friday. The star is wearing protection on his left knee after feeling some discomfort in the area.

The Neymar Case

The 33-year-old player felt pain in his knee during the match against Mirassol, but stayed on the field and played the full 90 minutes. He scored a goal and conceded a penalty in the 1-1 draw at Vila Belmiro.

Because of the pain, the number 10 was rested for the match against Internacional on Monday at Beira-Rio. On Tuesday, he went to São Paulo to undergo tests. Since then, he has been closely monitored by the medical department.

Besides Neymar…

Lautaro Díaz, who did not play against Internacional due to discomfort in his right knee, trained with the squad and should be available.

On the other hand, coach Juan Pablo Vojvoda will not be able to count on left-back Gonzalo Escobar, who was diagnosed with a muscle injury in his left thigh adductor.

Who plays?

A possible Santos lineup is: Gabriel Brazão; Igor Vinicius, Adonis Frías, Luan Peres and Souza; Willian Arão, João Schmidt and Zé Rafael; Neymar (Rollheiser), Barreal and Lautaro Díaz (Guilherme).

Final stretch

Santos has three more matches left to play this season. Peixe will face Sport at Vila Belmiro, visit Juventude in Caxias do Sul, and finish the Brazilian Championship at home against Cruzeiro.

Currently, the alvinegro team sits at the top of the relegation zone with 38 points. The gap to Vitória, the first team outside the Z4, is just one point.

Santos' next match

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