São Paulo line-up: Calleri back, Boca shelved for Atlético-MG | OneFootball

São Paulo wrapped up its preparations on Friday afternoon (4) for the match against Atlético-MG, valid for the 26th round of the Brazilian Championship. Under head coach Dorival Júnior, the squad held its final training session at CT da Barra Funda before the clash scheduled for this Saturday (5), at 6:30 p.m. (Brasília time), at Morumbi.

The tactical activities concluded the training cycle that began after the win over Bragantino. The field work involved simulations of attacking plays, movement adjustments, and practice of set-piece routines.

Midfield return and U-20 squad preserved

The main piece of news in the senior squad is the return of defensive midfielder Newton. Recovered from swelling in the adductor of his left thigh, the player trained without restrictions with the main group and is once again available to the coaching staff for the Brasileirão clash.

On the other hand, five young players transitioning from the academy to the senior team did not take part in the tactical training session at the CT. Goalkeeper João Pedro Pantiga, along with Osorio, Isac, Nicolas, and Pedro Ferreira, were part of the Tricolor U-20 team that beat Desportivo Brasil 1-0 in Porto Feliz, in the 14th round of the Paulista Championship for the category.

Who plays?

For the important clash against the team from Minas Gerais, after all Tricolor needs a run of wins to finally open up some distance from the relegation zone and perhaps fight for a place in the next Copa Libertadores, coach Dorival Júnior is expected to keep the system with three center-backs.

The spotlight is on the attack. Calleri has recovered from a sprained left ankle, trained without limitations during the week, and should return to the starting lineup. Meanwhile, defensive midfielder Bobadilla, who is recovering from knee pain and only began his transition back on Thursday (3), should remain unavailable.

Even with the first leg of the Copa Sudamericana quarterfinal against Boca Juniors in Argentina scheduled for Tuesday (8), Dorival said he will not prioritize competitions, making it clear that he will face Atlético with his strongest lineup.

São Paulo is expected to face Atlético-MG with Rafael; Domingos Duarte, Arboleda and Sabino; Buta (Lucas Ramón), Danielzinho, Marcos Antônio, Artur and Iago; Luciano and Calleri (Gustavo Santana).

Tricolor has 30 points and sits in 11th place in the table, five points above the dreaded relegation zone.

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