Corinthians Under-20 coach looks ahead to 2026 Copa São Paulo debut | OneFootball

On the afternoon of this Saturday (3rd), at 2:45 PM (Brasília time), Corinthians makes its debut in the 56th edition of the São Paulo Junior Football Cup against Trindade, from Goiás, at Zezinho Magalhães Stadium, in Jaú. In addition to the team from Goiás, Timãozinho shares Group 8 with Luverdense (Mato Grosso) and XV de Jaú. The Alvinegro, the tournament's biggest champion with 11 titles—the most recent in 2024—has reached the final for two consecutive years.

Speaking to the official Corinthians website, coach William Batista previewed the debut of the Filhos do Terrão in the competition and gave an overall analysis of the 30 players called up. Of this total, 14 have already played in the Copinha in previous years, and four of them were part of the Alvinegro’s title-winning squad in 2024 (Léo Agostinho, Luiz Gustavo Bahia, Matheus Corrêa, and Thomas Lisboa).

Photo: Rafael Brayan/Agência Corinthians

“We believe in the work that has been done and we are prepared and focused on our strategy to start the competition well. We managed to mix the experience of those who have played before, those who have already won the Copinha, and those who will play it for the first time and are eager to wear the Corinthians shirt and show their worth,” he began.

The last training session for the Corinthians team, at Caiçara Clube, already in Jaú, the headquarters of Group 8, was marked by heavy rain. The athletes started the day with a physical activation and later worked on offensive movements, as well as set-piece dynamics and finishing.

Finally, the Timãozinho coach commented on the importance of the Corinthians fans, who always turn out in large numbers for Copinha matches: “The Corinthians fans are wonderful and I am sure they will be at the stadium supporting us, as they do in every game,” he said.

Hired in mid-August to replace Orlando Ribeiro—dismissed after fluctuations in the Paulista Championship and a disappointing campaign in the U-20 Brasileirão—William Batista has accumulated three wins, one draw, and one loss in five games in charge of the Filhos do Terrão.

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