Palmeiras sharpened its plans for Palmeiras vs Internacional on Saturday morning, and the biggest change is likely to come in the back line. Barboza worked with the group again and is expected to reinforce Abel Ferreira’s side on Sunday at 16:00, while Gustavo Gómez will remain out.
The timing matters because Palmeiras is trying to settle its defense just hours before the match. Barboza is expected to form a line of three defenders with Murilo and Emiliano Martínez, but Benedetti remains another option if Ferreira decides to go in a different direction.
Gómez’s absence is not a minor detail. He worked on the field at Academia de Futebol, but did not go to Nubank Parque, as he continues recovery from a right thigh injury under the supervision of Núcleo de Saúde e Performance. For a team that trained in tactical concepts, set pieces and even a recreational activity after a video session with the coaching staff, the question is no longer whether Palmeiras will adjust, but how far those changes go.
That uncertainty is sharper because Ferreira is already reshaping the side after resting players against Fortaleza, following the advantage built in the first leg of the Copa do Brasil. Palmeiras is moving closer to what the coach sees as his ideal lineup, and Sunday’s game is another test of how much of that structure can be restored without Gómez. In the last Palmeiras x Internacional match in São Paulo, Vitor Roque scored a hat-trick, but this time the story begins with who is available to protect the lead at the other end of the pitch.
The final answer may come only when Palmeiras hands in its team sheet, but the direction is clear: Barboza is in line to return, Gómez is not, and Ferreira must choose whether to keep Benedetti as cover or trust the expected three-man defense to hold together against Internacional.
