Palmeiras aim to end drought, return to Copa do Brasil quarters in 3 years | OneFootball

Palmeiras take the field this Wednesday (5) at 9:30 p.m. Brasília time at Arena Pantanal in Cuiabá to face Fortaleza in the second leg of the Copa do Brasil round of 16. After winning the first leg 3-0, with goals from Maurício, Jhon Arias, and Flaco López, Verdão come into the match in a comfortable position to seal qualification for the quarterfinals.

Despite being one of the main forces in Brazilian football in recent years, the Copa do Brasil has been the competition in which Palmeiras have struggled the most to repeat the high level of performance shown in tournaments such as the Brazilian Championship and the Libertadores.

Since winning the title in 2020, the club’s performances in the national knockout competition have fallen short of expectations:

Now, the team led by Abel Ferreira has the chance to return to the quarterfinals after three seasons. The last time the club reached this stage was in 2023. Since winning the title in 2020, Palmeiras have still not managed to put together a campaign that would place them once again among the main contenders for the trophy.

The 3-0 win in the first meeting left Verdão very close to qualification. In addition to the advantage built in São Paulo, the team is in good form this season and heads into the match boosted by another convincing performance against Fortaleza.

The decider takes place this Wednesday (5) at 9:30 p.m. Brasília time at Arena Pantanal in Cuiabá. Fortaleza sold the hosting rights for the match and will try to overturn the heavy deficit to stay alive in the Copa do Brasil, while Palmeiras look to take another step toward improving their campaign in the tournament and dreaming again of a title they have not won since 2020.

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