Palmeiras to recall key duo to stay unbeaten in derbies this year | OneFootball

Palmeiras faces a decisive challenge this weekend. The Alviverde visits São Paulo for the third Choque-Rei of the season this Saturday, starting at 9 p.m. (Brasília time), at Morumbis, for the eighth round of the Brazilian Championship.

Coach Abel Ferreira is expected to bet on the return of a trio of starters not only to defend the leadership of the Brasileirão, but also to maintain the team's unbeaten record in derbies this season. Verdão has had a positive start to 2026.

The main novelty in the lineup should be the inclusion of Vitor Roque. The number 9 started on the bench in two of the team's last three matches after injuries suffered in the semifinals of the Paulista Championship, against São Paulo itself. He is still seeking his best physical condition since then.

Even so, the tendency is for ‘Tigrinho’ to start alongside Flaco López, especially given the importance of the derby. Palmeiras leads the Brasileirão with 16 points and wants to go into the break for the FIFA date as such.

(Photo: Cesar Greco/Palmeiras)

“[Playing] Consecutively, only Carlos Miguel, Gómez, Marlon, and Flaco. We have taken the others out due to injury or problems. What’s the difference between two and three days? Sometimes, with three days, you can recover the players faster. With two, the player is still super tired and at risk of injury. These are difficult decisions we have to make internally. We have these dilemmas. He’s not injured, but the probability of injury after two consecutive games exists. You see if he’s available or not through body language,” explained Abel.

Another almost certain change in the Palmeiras lineup will be at right back. Rested for the last two Alviverde matches, the defender should return to the starting eleven in place of Giay, who started against Mirassol and Botafogo in the Brasileirão. The rotation was even indicated by Abel in a press conference last Wednesday.

“It’s very likely that, in the next game, Khellven will play again. We ask a lot from our full-backs and I have absolute confidence in both. We played two home games after the match against Vasco and the Paulista final. He was one of the players we said played a lot consecutively,” he stated.

Piquerez to return?

Piquerez may also be a new face for Palmeiras in the derby against São Paulo. The left-back was not even used in two of the team’s last three matches and played only 20 minutes in the second half of the 1-0 win over Mirassol in Série A.

The Uruguayan was coming off a run of 14 matches for Palmeiras, five as a starter, before sitting on the bench against Vasco. Jefté started against the Cruzmaltino, while Arthur played the last two matches. The tendency, therefore, is for another change in the Choque-Rei.

“We’ve been holding Piquerez back a bit, he has a muscle problem, and we need to be careful. Arthur trained almost the entire last season with us, he can’t play in the under-20s anymore, but he’s been growing. We have three good players there. It’s true I haven’t used Jefté much, but he can play the next game perfectly. He’s also a young player, needs the coach’s affection and confidence, but he knows he has it,” said Abel.

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Unbeaten in derbies

Palmeiras is not only unbeaten in derbies, but also has a 100% record against São Paulo, Santos, and Corinthians this season. Verdão has four wins in four matches against the capital’s rivals, with seven goals scored and two conceded.

Alviverde beat São Paulo twice at home, once in the Paulista Championship and once in the Brasileirão. They also beat Corinthians at Neo Química Arena and defeated Santos as the home team. Both derbies were in the State Championship.

Upcoming Palmeiras matches

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