São Paulo and Coritiba meet on Saturday at 21h at Morumbis in the 23rd round of the Brasileirão, with sportv and Premiere set to show the match across Brazil. Artur has returned to São Paulo after missing the last two matches with pain in his left adductor, and Dorival is expected to put him back in the starting side.
The timing matters because São Paulo needs a result now. It has gone eight rounds without a win in the Campeonato Brasileiro, and its last victory was the 1-0 over Mirassol on 25 April. Since then, the club has managed only one win in its last 14 matches in all competitions, leaving it 12th with 26 points and under pressure to make Morumbis count.
Coritiba arrives with a better recent result, coming from a 2-1 home win over Chapecoense that ended a four-match winless run in the competition. It has 30 points and is trying to move closer to the top group while keeping distance from the relegation zone, so the game carries weight for both sides even before the first whistle.
Dorival tested Ferreirinha as a lone left-sided winger and Bobadilla on the right with more defensive characteristics, but the expected São Paulo lineup still points to Rafael; Lucas Ramon, Arboleda, Domingos Duarte and Wendell; Pablo Maia, Marcos Antônio, Danielzinho or Bobadilla and Artur; Luciano and Calleri. São Paulo will be without Lucas, Tolói and Lucca, with Lucas sidelined by a rupture of the Achilles tendon, Tolói by a strain in his right thigh and Lucca by a jaw fracture.
Coritiba also has its own absences to manage. Brian Ocampo, Josué, Lucas Ronier and Pedro Rangel are ruled out, and Josué and Brian Ocampo are not expected to travel after exams found problems following the Chapecoense match. Jacy and Bruno Melo, who left that game early with physical problems, trained on the field during the week and are available, while Vini Paulista is expected to step in for Josué. The likely Coritiba lineup is Pedro Morisco; Tinga, Tiago Cóser, Jacy and Bruno Melo; Thiago Santos, Sebastián Gómez and Vini Paulista; Lavega, Breno Lopes and Pedro Rocha.
There is still one hard edge in the build-up. São Paulo gets Artur back at home, but the numbers behind it are still ugly, and Coritiba enters with enough points and enough recent recovery to make this more than a routine fixture. Bruno Melo, Josué and Thiago Santos are on the warning list, which adds another layer to a match that could turn quickly if either side loses control in midfield. The referee will be Charly Wendey Straub Deretti, with Fernanda Nandrea Gomes Antunes, Anne Kesy Gomes de Sa, Wanbelton Lisboa Vicente and Diego Pombo Lopez completing the crew. The next thing that matters is simple: kickoff at Morumbis on Saturday night, when São Paulo must finally turn a home return into three points.
