Enderson coy on Rômulo for Copa do Brasil final v Palmeiras | OneFootball

The presence of Rômulo in the final of the Campeonato Paulista, between Novorizontino and Palmeiras, is still an unknown. This Tuesday, on the eve of the first match of the final, Tigre’s coach Enderson Moreira kept Rômulo’s participation a mystery.

Since Rômulo is on loan from Palmeiras, Novorizontino must pay a fine of R$ 1 million if they want to have the player in the finals. As the Paulistão final will be played over two matches, the total cost to use the athlete in both games would reach R$ 2 million.

“Regarding Rômulo, we are discussing a contractual issue. R$ 1 or R$ 2 million is a lot of money for a club from the countryside. We regret if we can’t count on him, we would like to have everyone, but it’s a contract. It’s under evaluation, if he doesn’t play, we can’t keep lamenting. We have to highlight those who will have the opportunity, everyone is prepared for this,” said Enderson Moreira at the finalists’ press conference at the FPF headquarters.

Rômulo has played nine matches this season, with six goals and three assists. He is Novorizontino’s second top scorer in 2026, only behind Robson, who has seven goals.

Palmeiras maintains a firm stance: if Tigre wants to count on the midfielder in the finals, they will have to pay the fine stipulated in the contract.

Photo: Pedro Zacchi/Ag.Paulistão/Sua Foto No Jogo

“Notorious” favoritism

Enderson admits that favoritism in the Paulistão final is “notorious” and on Palmeiras’ side. He emphasizes, however, that nothing is won yet.

“Of course we have a favorite. That doesn’t mean it’s won. The other teams were also favorites against us. We’re not a team that just defends, we control spaces that we think are important. We see ball possession as something decisive to determine if a team is better or not, but it’s not. We have a team with qualities in all areas of the field,” said the coach.

The manager also spoke about the feeling of playing in the State final and possibly winning an unprecedented title for Novorizontino. He revealed he didn’t believe in reaching the final after the victory over Corinthians last Saturday in the semifinals.

“I only believed we made it to the final when the game against Corinthians ended. I got home and thought I was dreaming,” he joked.

“Achievements are special. Our lives involve a lot of sacrifice, we give up a lot. I took part in the 2015 Paulista with Santos. I was leading the championship and was fired. That left a bitter taste. Time knows all things. Reaching the final is very surprising for us, I never tire of praising the players, we went through a big transformation, we had little time to work. For a countryside club to reach a final is an achievement. These are two very tough matches, we know the quality of Palmeiras, but we’re here to do our best and maybe go after a special title,” he concluded.

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The 2026 Paulistão finals will be played this Wednesday and Sunday. The first leg will take place at Arena Barueri, with Palmeiras as the home team. The second match will be in Novo Horizonte.

Palmeiras, current runner-up of the State Championship, is seeking its 27th title. Last year, the team was beaten by Corinthians. Abel Ferreira’s team eliminated Capivariano and São Paulo to reach the final.

Novorizontino, on the other hand, is trying to lift the trophy for the first time in its history. Tigre has the best campaign of this edition of the tournament and left behind Santos and Corinthians.

Finals details

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