Neymar will not travel to Ecuador for Santos’ second leg against Macará, leaving the Brazilian side without its most recognizable player for a match that can send it into the quarterfinals. Santos released its travel squad before Thursday and left Neymar out, while Gabigol also stayed behind.
The omission matters because Santos is trying to defend a 2-1 lead from the first leg at Vila Belmiro, and a draw or win would be enough to advance. Macará, by contrast, needs a victory by two or more goals to go through without penalties; a one-goal win would push the tie to a shootout.
That is the narrow edge Santos is trying to manage in Ambato, where the match will be played at approximately 2,600 meters above sea level. Cuca has chosen to control the minutes of some key players, a move that also fits the club’s crowded week: Santos sits two points above the relegation zone in the Brazilian league and faces Mirassol on Sunday.
The bigger issue is that Santos is taking on a decisive knockout match without both Neymar and Gabigol, even though Moisés has returned to the squad after recovering from injury. The numbers under the pair are not reassuring either: in eight matches without Neymar and Gabigol, Santos has one win, four losses and three draws.
So the question is not whether Santos has a lead. It does. The question is whether a team that is protecting that lead, conserving legs for Sunday and traveling without its two main attacking names can keep control of a tie that now has much less margin for error.
