Palmeiras will go to Arena da Baixada on Saturday, October 17, with Abel Ferreira refusing to treat the Brasileirão as a side mission. The team will face Athletico-PR at 19h30 Brasília time, but it will do so without Vitor Roque, Gustavo Gómez and Giay.
That matters now because Palmeiras arrives at the match with the league lead still in play and a Libertadores semifinal against Fluminense four days later. Ferreira has made clear he does not plan to preserve starters for the weekend, even with the calendar tightening around his squad.
Roque is the most visible absence. The forward is sidelined by a sprain in his right ankle and was already ruled out before the first leg against Fluminense. His recovery is now being tracked with one eye on Wednesday, October 21, when Palmeiras is scheduled to play the second leg of the semifinal.
Even without him, Palmeiras is expected to keep a strong spine in place. Carlos Miguel should start in goal, with Murilo, Bruno Fuchs, Barboza and Khellven behind Lucas Evangelista, Marlon Freitas and Andreas Pereira. Piquerez, Arias and Flaco López are projected to complete the side, with Bruno Fuchs the favorite to cover for Gómez and Khellven in line to replace Giay.
That is the friction point in Ferreira’s plan. He says he will not rest players, but the lineup still has to absorb three confirmed absences after the Dérbi, and two of them come from suspension after a third yellow card. One of the few certainties is that Palmeiras cannot simply copy the same team it would use in a regular league weekend.
The timing is unforgiving. Flamengo leads the Brasileirão with 64 points, one ahead of Palmeiras, and Flamengo plays Bahia at Arena Fonte Nova on Sunday, October 18, at 19h30 Brasília time. Palmeiras therefore walks into Athletico-PR needing points now, not after the semifinal dust settles.
Ferreira has taken the same line before: compete for everything, and do not hand away one tournament to protect another. For Roque, the next step is more personal than tactical. If the ankle improves quickly enough, his race is to be ready for the second leg against Fluminense; if not, Palmeiras will have to navigate the semifinal without one of its clearest attacking options.
