Corinthians and Rosario Central meet on Thursday at 21:30 with a place in the next round on the line, and Memphis Depay is back in the squad for the decisive second leg at Neo Química Arena. A winner advances in normal time. If it ends level again, the tie goes to penalties.
The search around Corinthians Vs Rosario is simple because the first leg in Rosario finished 0-0, leaving everything to be settled in São Paulo. Corinthians return home after a 2-1 loss to Cruzeiro in the Campeonato Brasileiro, while Rosario Central arrive after a 1-0 win over Barracas Central in which Jorge Almirón rested his main players. That contrast has made the return leg feel less like a follow-up and more like a fresh start.
Depay’s return gives Corinthians a player they had been waiting to recover after a difficult renewal process, but he is not being thrown into the match from the opening whistle. He is expected to play between 30 minutes and 45 minutes in the second half, which means the game may already be deep into its decisive phase before he becomes the central attacking option. That matters because Corinthians are still missing Allan, who is suspended, and Yuri Alberto, who is injured, so Fernando Diniz has to build a different attacking shape than the one he would use with a full squad.
That is where the match becomes more than a simple return fixture. Pedro Raul and Gui Negão are competing for the spot left by Yuri Alberto, and the choice points to a Corinthians side that has to balance urgency with caution. They recently exited the Copa do Brasil and are leaning harder on the Conmebol Libertadores, but Rosario Central bring their own edge into the night: five games without a loss this season and a coach in Almirón who could afford to protect key players last weekend and still arrive with momentum.
Alexis Herrera will referee a match that already carries the cleanest possible stakes. Corinthians need to find a way through without overextending the squad too early, because the one thing the first leg did not provide was an advantage. The result in São Paulo will settle the tie in real time, and if Depay’s minutes are as limited as expected, the question is not just whether he returns, but whether he returns in time to decide it.
