Santos will host Mirassol on Sunday at 18h30 in Vila Belmiro, and the headline is the same one fans have been waiting for: Neymar and Gabigol are expected to return to Cuca’s starting lineup. The match is part of the 24ª rodada of the Campeonato Brasileiro, with Premiere set to show it nationwide and ge to follow the action in real time.
The timing matters because Santos arrives with momentum. It has gone three matches without defeat, beat Vasco in the Campeonato Brasileiro and also reached the quarterfinals of the Copa Sul-Americana, while Neymar and Gabigol have accounted for 14 of the club’s 32 goals in the Brasileirão. That makes their return more than a headline; it is the clearest sign that Santos is treating this league match as a chance to push farther from the relegation zone.
For Cuca, the expected shape is close to a full-strength XI. The probable lineup includes Gabriel Brazão; Igor Vinícius, Willian Arão, Luan Peres and Escobar; João Schmidt with Christian Oliva or Gustavo Henrique; Rony or Caballero, Barreal, Neymar and Gabigol. Vinícius Lira, Gabriel Menino, Gabriel Bontempo, Pepê Fermino and Lucas Veríssimo are out, which leaves the coach with fewer ways to shuffle the side if he wants to change the attack late.
Mirassol is arriving from the other side of the same equation. Rafael Guanaes is expected to restore his strongest team after using reserves in Thursday’s 0-0 draw with LDU in Quito, a result that ended in a penalty shootout exit in the Libertadores round of 16. Reinaldo and Eduardo are almost certain to start, while the probable formation keeps three defenders with Walter; Gabriel Knesowitsch, João Victor and Willian Machado; Igor Formiga, Japa, Neto Moura, Eduardo and Reinaldo; Fernandinho or Alesson; and Bruno Santos. Denilson is suspended, and Edson Carioca, Negueba and Aldo Filho are injured.
That is where the match gains its edge. Santos is unbeaten in three, Mirassol has gone six matches without a win, and the visitors spent part of the week protecting themselves for the league after prioritizing the Brasileirão over the continental tie. Edina Alves Batista will referee a game that now looks less like a routine round fixture and more like a test of whether Santos can turn a familiar front line back into points. The final answer will come at Vila Belmiro on Sunday night, when Neymar and Gabigol are either back where Santos needs them or not.
