Abel hails Arias debut, confirms Paulistão semi at Barueri

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·22 febbraio 2026

Abel hails Arias debut, confirms Paulistão semi at Barueri

In the debut of Palmeiras' major signing for 2026, the attacking midfielder Jhon Arias, the Verdão defeated Capivariano 4-0 on Saturday night (21) at Arena Barueri in the state championship quarterfinals, securing their spot in the semifinals. After the match, coach Abel Ferreira praised the performance of the Colombian, who came on in the second half and won the penalty that led to the third goal.

Asked about how to fit Arias into the team, Abel responded that he is satisfied with the squad he has available. In Saturday's match, the coach substituted Allan for the Colombian to play. However, he was emphatic in saying that both can play together, but dismissed using Allan as a central player.

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– If I do that [put Allan as a number 10, as suggested by the journalist who asked the question], you will call me a mad scientist – he began.

– It's all good [having both together]. Thanks to Leila for signing a player of Arias' caliber, he played with the players we have, we rotated. Having two players of this level is very good, Allan has improved a lot this year. I'm happy to have two players like this. Players who play on the wing are more frequent, and Arias will help us a lot and today he already helped with the penalty play.

– Allan can indeed play centrally, but there we have Maurício, Flaco López who also does it. So initially I count on them on the right or left, they can play with switched feet. With Felipe Anderson's return, we are well served on the wing, Sosa can also play advanced (as a center forward). I'm grateful to have these players.

After complaining about the penalties not awarded to Palmeiras since the controversial game against São Paulo in 2025, Verdão had its first penalty awarded in 2026, in a play involving the debutant Jhon Arias. The coach said Edina's call was fair.

More than fair, we went many games without penalties and could have had them before, said Abel.

Besides the penalty, Abel also found the victory fair, but said that despite the rout, Capivariano's team played well and balanced the game in part of the first half. The Portuguese coach highlighted the efficiency of the Palmeiras team.

– It was a big score for what happened in the game. Our opponent never gave up playing, they pressed man to man from the start. They could have scored. Efficiency is a determining factor in football, you need to be efficient and today we were. But in the end, the victory was fair.

Finally, he confirmed that the Paulista Championship semifinal next week will still be played at Arena Barueri. Verdão, which started the season in the metropolitan region of São Paulo due to the turf replacement at Allianz Parque, is having a good moment at the stadium.

At Arena Crefisa Barueri, the Alviverde is unbeaten in eight games, having won six in a row (2-0 against Corinthians and 1-0 against São Paulo in 2025; 1-0 against Santos, 1-0 against Mirassol, 3-1 against São Paulo, 5-1 against Vitória, 1-1 with Guarani, and 4-0 against Capivariano in 2026). The six-win streak was the club's longest at the stadium, surpassing the five consecutive victories achieved between 2012 and 2022.

– It's the second year we've started the year without playing in our true home. No excuses, we play wherever and to win. I appreciate the effort of coming here and filling the stands of a place that is not our home.

– The synthetic turf is like natural, if it's bad, replace it. In Barueri, the turf is top-notch, better than 70% of natural ones. I've seen horrible synthetics, and when that happens, the CBF has to do something: demand that the turf be replaced. I like playing in Barueri because the turf is top-notch. At Allianz, it wasn't good, and we did what needs to be done, which is to replace it.

And now?

Verdão still doesn't know who their opponent will be. Besides Abel Ferreira's team, São Paulo secured a spot in the semifinal by defeating Red Bull Bragantino. Portuguesa and Corinthians and Grêmio Novorizontino and Santos will decide the other two spots.

The two semifinals will take place next weekend, between February 30 and March 1. Before that, Palmeiras will play in the Brazilian Championship on Wednesday (25) against Fluminense at Arena Barueri.