Palmeiras and Vasco will meet at 16h on Sunday in São Paulo in the 24th round of the Campeonato Brasileiro, a game that carries weight at both ends of the table. Globo, Premiere and ge tv will show it live, and ge will track every moment in real time.
Palmeiras arrives with a narrow margin at the top after starting the round with only three points of lead, while Vasco begins it in penultimate place with 22 points. That makes the match more than a routine league date: Palmeiras needs to keep its grip on first place, and Vasco can leave the relegation zone if it beats Palmeiras, depending on other results.
The team news gives the game an even sharper edge. Andreas Pereira is expected to step in for Lucas Evangelista after serving a suspension, and Arthur is the likely option at left back if Piquerez cannot play after a thigh edema that sent him into treatment on Saturday. Paulinho also remains doubtful after beginning physical transition from a thigh muscle injury on Saturday, while Jefté and Ramón Sosa are out.
That leaves Palmeiras with a probable lineup of Carlos Miguel, Murilo, Gustavo Gómez, Barboza, Allan, Marlon Freitas, Andreas Pereira, Arthur, Arias, Vitor Roque and Flaco López, with Flaco López, Mauricio, Luis Pacheco and Murilo also carrying suspension risk. The club’s recent run helps explain the urgency: Palmeiras had gone four matches without a win before breaking that streak, and it has also advanced in the Copa do Brasil and the Conmebol Libertadores, but the league table still leaves little room to relax.
Vasco comes in with a different mood after beating Olimpia 4-1 at Defensores del Chaco in Paraguay on Thursday in the Copa Sul-Americana. Pedro Emanuel said the side still seeks its first Brasileirão victory, even as Paulo Henrique and Tchê Tchê return after being rested for that match and Sosa and Colidio are expected to start.
Vasco’s probable lineup is Léo Jardim, Paulo Henrique, Carlos Cuesta, Robert Renan, Cuiabano, Sosa, Thiago Mendes, Tchê Tchê, Andrés Gómez, Colidio and David, with Brenner, Jair, Rojas and Mateus Carvalho unavailable. Tchê Tchê and Robert Renan are also listed among those at risk of suspension, which adds another layer to a team that is trying to turn continental confidence into league points.
Gustavo Gómez put Palmeiras’ mood in plain terms: “A gente está com fome de vitórias, fome de títulos.” Sunday will show whether that hunger is enough to hold off a Vasco side that has lifted its spirits but still has far more to fix than celebrate.
