Sudamericana forces Santos to weigh title tilt against Brasileirão survival | OneFootball

Santos are torn between a realistic Sudamericana tilt and the urgency of the Brasileirão drop fight, with three knockouts still to reach the final.

They open their last-16 tie against Ecuador's Macará at Vila Belmiro on Thursday at 19:00, before next week's return in Ambato. According to Globo.com, the staff are weighing whether to prioritise the continental push or hold players back for the league battle.

Sunday's defeat to Athletico-PR triggered protests at half-time and after the whistle, with criticism aimed at the team and, notably, president Marcelo Teixeira. Coach Cuca expects heavy scrutiny from the warm-up and has called for perseverance and unity, noting it is hard for fans to applaud while the side sit in the relegation zone.

He feels a win over Macará could ease tensions. With a short squad and three fronts also including the Copa do Brasil, he accepts that prioritising one competition may become necessary, and says he will decide what is best based on conditions.

The winner of Santos v Macará will face Red Bull Bragantino or Atlético-MG in the quarter-finals, and progression would be worth 700,000 dollars, around R$ 3.5 million. Attention will quickly switch to the weekend, when Santos meet Vasco in a key Brasileirão fixture, having slipped to 17th on 22 points, level with Vasco, who are below on goal difference.

Source: Globo.com

“Artificial intelligence was used to assist in creating this article based on reporting from the original source quoted.”