Ahead of Libertadores opener, Palmeiras group rival sacks boss; see | OneFootball

Palmeiras already has a date for its Conmebol Libertadores debut. Verdão will face Junior Barranquilla on April 8 at 9:30 p.m. (Brasília time) in Colombia. But in the Alviverde group, there is already a club going through a delicate situation before the start of the continental competition’s group stage.

Coach fired

Also an opponent in 2025, Sporting Cristal fired Brazilian coach Paulo Autuori this Wednesday (25), after he had been in charge of the team since April last year. With the start of the group stage approaching, the Peruvian club will have to turn to the market in search of a replacement.

Autuori had been in charge of Sporting Cristal since April 2025. Photo: Disclosure/Sporting Cristal

See Palmeiras’ matches in the 2026 Libertadores group stage:

Matchday 1: Junior Barranquilla vs Palmeiras – 4/8 (Wednesday) – 9:30 p.m. (Brasília time) – Globo and ESPNMatchday 2: Palmeiras vs Sporting Cristal – 4/16 (Thursday) – 7 p.m. (Brasília time) – ParamountMatchday 3: Cerro Porteño vs Palmeiras – 4/29 (Wednesday) – 9:30 p.m. (Brasília time) – Globo and ESPNMatchday 4: Sporting Cristal vs Palmeiras – 5/5 (Tuesday) – 7 p.m. (Brasília time) – ParamountMatchday 5: Palmeiras vs Cerro Porteño – 5/20 (Wednesday) – 9:30 p.m. (Brasília time) – Globo and ESPNMatchday 6: Palmeiras vs Junior Barranquilla – 5/28 (Thursday) – 7 p.m. (Brasília time) – Paramount

The Libertadores final is scheduled for November 28 in Montevideo, Uruguay, where Verdão won its third title in the competition.

Champions in 1999, 2020 and 2021, Palmeiras is seeking its fourth title. The winner of the 2026 Libertadores will secure a place in that same year’s Intercontinental Cup, as well as a spot in the second edition of the FIFA Club World Cup, scheduled for 2029.

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