Will Arroyo face São Paulo? Inside Cruzeiro’s travel plans | OneFootball

First of all, Keny Arroyo is highly unlikely to start against São Paulo next Wednesday, the 7th, at 9:30 p.m. (Brasília time), at Mineirão, in the 29th round of the Brazilian Championship. The match marks the resumption of the Brasileirão for Cruzeiro, whose main objective is to qualify for the group stage of the 2027 Copa Libertadores.

If they beat São Paulo at Mineirão, Cruzeiro, who currently sit in sixth place with 45 points, will go to sleep in the Brasileirão’s top four. That is because Bahia and Fluminense only play on Thursday, and they will need to win their matches to reclaim their positions.

Arroyo’s absence, at least from the starting lineup, is virtually certain. That is because the player is with the Ecuador national team in Japan, where he is taking part in the country’s matches during the FIFA international window. The Cruzeiro player has started both of his national team’s matches so far.

On September 24, he played about 66 minutes in La Tri’s 3-0 loss to South Korea. On October 1, against Japan, Arroyo once again started. This time, in the 0-0 draw, he played 67 minutes. Ecuador lost 5-4 on penalties.

Arroyo will make a trip of more than 22 hours

The big problem for Cruzeiro in having the Ecuadorian available is the fact that his national team only plays on Monday, the 5th, in Tokyo, against Panama. Arroyo will only return to Belo Horizonte after the match. Even on a charter flight, the trip from Tokyo to Ecuador should take around 22 hours, taking into account the technical stop for refueling.

After that, the player will travel from his country to Belo Horizonte. It is highly unlikely that he will be in condition to report to the club’s training center for even one session.

The tendency is for Arroyo to report to coach Artur Jorge at the club’s hotel on Wednesday itself. After an assessment by the club’s medical department and football department, it will be decided whether or not the Ecuadorian will at least be available as an option on the bench.

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