To secure Morumbi, São Paulo ask for Santos derby in Fifa break | OneFootball

São Paulo has sent a formal request to the Brazilian Football Confederation (CBF) for the derby against Santos, valid for the Brazilian Championship, to be scheduled during the next FIFA international break.

The internal expectation at the club is that the federation will grant the request, making it possible to hold the match between September 21 and October 6.

If the calendar change is confirmed, Tricolor will secure home-field advantage for the derby at Morumbi, maintaining the run of decisive matches in front of its fans.

Beyond the derby factor, the internal view is that the clash against the coastal side will be fundamental and directly tied to the club’s hopes of pulling clear once and for all from the relegation battle, which is why playing at home is so important.

There are other factors as well, to be fair. São Paulo already knows it will have to face Corinthians, the other derby it hosts in this second half of the Brasileirão, away from Morumbi. That match is scheduled for November 4, when the Tricolor stadium will be under “recovery” after the series of shows by South Korean band BTS.

Precisely for that reason, the Morumbi club fears that the CBF will schedule the postponed match against Santos for the same dates set for the Copa do Brasil semifinals (October 31 and November 7), when its stadium would be unavailable because of the K-pop show.

The match against Santos was originally scheduled for July 29, but it was postponed because the rival had played in the Copa Sudamericana playoff round.

Calendar adjustment and logistics at Morumbi

The move by São Paulo’s football department aims to optimize the squad’s rest and preparation amid the marathon of fixtures in domestic and continental competitions:

FIFA international break window: The period between late September and early October will not feature a full slate of Brazilian football matches, opening space to make up postponed games or carry out strategic rescheduling.

Home advantage: Confirmation of the match at Morumbi is seen by the board and coaching staff as an important asset, given the team’s strong record at home this season.

The CBF is expected to publish the official details with the final date, time, and venue of the match in the coming days.

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