Fortaleza reached São Paulo on Saturday with 27 players for the first leg of Palmeiras vs Fortaleza in the Copa do Brasil round of 16, and Paulo Autuori’s first match in charge came with Fuentes and Pierre back in the group. The team is set to face Palmeiras on Sunday at 16:00 at Nubank Parque in São Paulo.
The trip matters because Autuori had only four training sessions to study the squad and shape a plan, leaving little room for surprises in his debut. Even so, the list was not fully settled: Pedro Henrique traveled with the squad, but he was expected to miss the match because of a four-game punishment from the STJD.
That detail leaves Fortaleza with one more selection question than the travel list suggests. If Pedro Henrique is ruled out, Luiz Fernando is expected to come back alongside Vitinho and Miritello, which would keep the side close to the shape used in the last game and limit the number of changes Autuori makes for a knockout match away from home.
For Fortaleza, the immediate test is not just the opponent but the balance inside its own squad. The first leg arrives quickly, the returns of Fuentes and Pierre give Autuori more options, and the decision around Pedro Henrique may be the clearest sign yet of how strictly the coach plans to lean on continuity when Palmeiras and Fortaleza meet.
