Santos without Gabigol against Cruzeiro, here’s why | OneFootball

Santos will have a significant absence in the match against Cruzeiro this Sunday, for the eighth round of the Brazilian Championship. Gabigol will not face his former club at Mineirão.

The forward is on loan from Raposa to Peixe and, as stipulated in the contract, the São Paulo club would have to pay a fine to the Minas Gerais team if they fielded the number 9.

Santos announced the signing of Gabigol at the beginning of this year. The contract is valid until the end of 2026. So far, the striker has played 12 games (11 as a starter), scored seven goals, and provided two assists. He is the team's top scorer of the season.

Cruzeiro vs. Santos: How are the clubs doing?

Santos is winless in three matches in the Brasileirão. Occupying the 16th place in the championship, Peixe has six points, with one win, three draws, and three losses. After the defeat against Internacional at home last Wednesday, the São Paulo club dismissed Argentine coach Juan Pablo Vojvoda and announced Cuca as the manager for the season.

Cruzeiro, on the other hand, has not yet won in the Brazilian Championship. With only three points, the Minas Gerais club is the second-to-last and needs a victory to climb the standings. Raposa is also without a coach following the departure of Tite. The team is close to reaching an agreement with Portuguese Artur Jorge, who won the Libertadores in 2024 with Botafogo.

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Technical Sheet

Match: Cruzeiro vs. Santos Competition: Brazilian Championship – 8th Round Date and time: Sunday, March 22, 2026, at 4 PM (Brasília time) Location: Mineirão, Belo Horizonte (MG) Broadcast: Globo and Premiere

*By Lucas Passoli

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