Corinthians loanee misses Ecuador derby by coach's choice | OneFootball

Universidad Católica defeated Barcelona de Guayaquil 2-1 on July 21, in a match valid for the 21st round of the Ecuadorian Championship, played at Estadio Olímpico Atahualpa in Quito. Despite belonging to Corinthians and being on loan at the Ecuadorian club, left-back Diego Palacios was not even named on the bench.

After the match, coach Diego Martínez explained that the player’s absence was exclusively a technical decision by the coaching staff. “Well, Diego Palacios’ (absence) was a technical decision, which led to him not being called up for this match,” the coach said in a post-match press conference.

Photo: Disclosure/Universidad Católica

The Ecuadorian’s situation remains unstable at Universidad Católica. In the clash against Barcelona de Guayaquil, Eddy Mejía and Eric Valencia were the options chosen for left-back, leaving Palacios out of the plans for the match. A few days earlier, on July 6, the defender had returned to the starting lineup after a long period. In the 3-2 loss to Mushuc Runa, also in the Ecuadorian Championship, Palacios started for the first time in almost nine months and stayed on the field for 63 minutes before being replaced by Eric Valencia.

According to data from Sofascore, the full-back posted a good passing accuracy rate, completing 29 of 31 attempts, the equivalent of 94%. In addition, he made one ball recovery, created one scoring chance, and won one of the five duels he contested during the match.

Palacios left the field in the 18th minute of the second half, when Universidad Católica was already trailing 2-0. Despite the unfavorable scoreline, he had no direct involvement in any of the goals conceded by the team. That match marked his first start since October 19, 2025, when he was still playing for Karpaty of Ukraine, a club he also represented on loan from Corinthians.

Before once again being left out of the matchday squad, the left-back had featured in the previous two games coming off the bench. That period followed a run of more than a month without seeing the field, during which he remained among the substitutes in four consecutive matches.

Since returning to Ecuadorian football, Palacios has made ten appearances for Universidad Católica. In total, he has accumulated 224 minutes on the field, averaging 22.4 minutes per appearance.

Now, the player awaits another opportunity in Diego Martínez’s team. This Monday, at 6:30 p.m. (Brasília time), Universidad Católica will face Guayaquil City away from home. The club currently sits second in the Ecuadorian Championship with 35 points, 20 behind leaders Independiente del Valle. With nine rounds remaining until the end of the first phase, the team remains in the qualification zone for the knockout stage.

Diego Palacios arrived at Corinthians at the beginning of 2024, during Augusto Melo’s administration. The left-back joined on a free transfer after ending his contract with Los Angeles FC of the United States.

However, his spell at Parque São Jorge was marked by physical problems. In approximately a year and a half at the club, he played only four matches, mainly hindered by recurring injuries to his left knee. In August 2025, Corinthians chose to loan him to Karpaty of Ukraine. In European football, however, he also found few opportunities, taking the field only twice before no longer being called up from October of that year onward.

At the start of this season, Palacios returned to Corinthians only to be loaned out again, this time to Universidad Católica. The deal represented an approximate reduction of R$ 2.6 million in the São Paulo club’s wage bill. The loan to the Ecuadorian side runs until December 2026. The left-back’s contract with Corinthians, meanwhile, remains valid until the end of 2027.

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