Vasco wrap up preparations to face Cruzeiro, check out the likely line-up | OneFootball

This Friday, at CT Moacyr Barboza, Vasco wrapped up their training routine in preparation to face Cruzeiro. The Cruzmaltino will go head-to-head with Cabuloso in the 25th round of the Campeonato Brasileiro, this Sunday, at 6:30 p.m. (Brasília time), at São Januário.

This was only Vasco’s second training session focused on the upcoming match, as Fernando Diniz’s squad only regrouped on Thursday, a day after facing Bahia in a rescheduled game from the 16th round of the Brasileirão. The clash against Raposa, in addition to its importance in the standings, also holds a special ingredient: it will be the reunion of the coach, now at Vasco, with his former team.

The main news for Vasco is the return of the young Rayan, who is back after serving a suspension in the last round and is expected to be available to the coaching staff.

On the other hand, full-back Lucas Piton remains sidelined due to a calf problem, which keeps Puma Rodríguez filling in for the role. Meanwhile, Robert Renan, Tchê Tchê, and Thiago Mendes are still doubts: all three are in the final stages of injury recovery and will be reassessed before the match.

Thus, a possible starting lineup for the São Januário team includes: Léo Jardim; Paulo Henrique, Carlos Cuesta, Robert Renan (Lucas Freitas or Lucas Oliveira), and Puma Rodríguez; Hugo Moura, Cauan Barros, and Philippe Coutinho; Nuno Moreira, Vegetti, and Rayan.

Vasco’s Form

The Cruzmaltino is coming off a 3-1 victory over Bahia at São Januário last Wednesday, in the 16th round of the Brasileirão. The goals in the win were scored by Philippe Coutinho, Puma Rodríguez, and Luciano Juba (own goal).

In the Brasileirão, Vasco has 27 points and is currently in 13th place, with 24 matches played. Now, the Rio team is five points clear of the relegation zone, which starts with Vitória.

The clash against Cruzeiro, therefore, is seen as crucial for Vasco to stay away from the danger zone and, consequently, set their sights higher up the table.

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