Decisive in derbies, Veiga is Palmeiras’ hope for goals in the Choque-Rei | OneFootball

This Saturday, at 6:30 PM, for the fourth round of the Paulista Championship, Palmeiras hosts São Paulo at Arena Barueri. With the possible absence of Vitor Roque, midfielder Raphael Veiga may take on the team's leading role. At 30 years old, the Verdão idol is the player with the most goals in classics of the current squad, with 18 goals scored.

Good memories

Against this Saturday's opponent, Raphael played some of the most remarkable matches of his career. The midfielder scored twice in the 4-0 victory in the 2022 Paulista Championship final, when Alviverde overturned a 3-1 deficit from the first leg.

The previous year, Veiga scored the first goal in the 3-0 victory that qualified Palmeiras for the Copa Libertadores semifinal, which the club would eventually win. More recently, in 2025, Raphael scored the only goal from a penalty in Verdão's victory over São Paulo in the Paulistão semifinals.

The Tricolor is the club that the number 23 has faced the most in his career: 30 matches, with 10 wins, 12 draws, and eight losses (46.7% success rate). Among the rivals from São Paulo's capital, São Paulo is Raphael's biggest victim, having scored seven goals in these encounters.

Comeback

In the 2026 season, Veiga will attempt to return to his best form with Palmeiras. Last year, the midfielder frequently dealt with injuries and had an inconsistent performance under Abel Ferreira. Even so, in 53 matches, he scored seven goals and provided 12 assists.

This Saturday, with the possible absences of Vitor Roque and Andreas Pereira, the number 23 is expected to have more prominence in the game and be more involved.

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