Preview:Santos vs Corinthians - prediction, team news, lineups

Competing for a Copa Sudamericana spot is not out of the realm of possibility for Santos, but they must urgently move away from the Brasileiro relegation zone with a win when they entertain Corinthians in the Classico Alvinegro derby on October 16.

The travelling party have a more realistic goal in securing their spot, but they are running out of time and cannot afford to drop points with four other teams breathing down their necks.

Match preview

After spending a season in Brazil’s second tier, Santos restored some respectability by bouncing right back up, thanks to winning the Brasileiro Serie B.

However, it has been a rollercoaster ride since then, with five managers hopping into the hot seat, which is now occupied by Juan Pablo Vojvoda, who landed the job in August this year.

Vojvoda has overseen six fixtures so far; the good news is that he has only lost one of those, the bad news is that the Argentine could only muster a solitary victory (D4).

While that is not terrible form, those results would see any team struggle to stay in mid-table, which has been the trend for most of the season and is likely why the Black and White find themselves just three points above the relegation zone.

Last week’s result against Ceara delivered the manager’s first defeat, which is why he will be keen to motivate his troops to bounce back against Corinthians.

It is one of the biggest fixtures in the league calendar for both Sao Paolo clubs, and getting one over the visitors will be a huge positive for the hosts.

However, their last victory against their regional rivals came at the beginning of 2024 in the Campeonato Paulista, where they made it to the final but ended up losing to Palmeiras.

The hosts have not beaten Corinthians in the regular league season since 2021, something that Santastico must fix if they are to avoid the drop.

Seven-time Brasileiro champions, Corinthians, have yet to hit the highs of their last Serie A title-winning season of 2017, with their best finish being fourth place since then.

Having recently added the Campeonato Paulista to their cabinet for the 31st time, the Timao now have their sights set on finishing their league season strongly.

Former Brazilian head coach Dorival Junior is the man at the helm of the visitors, and he has enjoyed a relatively successful season after taking over from Orlando Ribeiro and Ramon Diaz.

The new boss has overseen 29 matches so far, winning a dozen of them and losing eight; one of those victories ended a three-game winless streak last week against Mirassol, who are currently lying fourth in the standings.

The People’s Team should be confident of grabbing three points during the week to strengthen their grip on the Copa Sudamericana places.

With a 10-point deficit from the Copa Libertadores qualification spots, the visitors are simply running out of fixtures to aim that high, but their 12th spot on the log needs some consolidation here.

Santos form (all competitions):

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Corinthians form (all competitions):

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Team News

The home side will certainly be without club captain and superstar Neymar Junior, as the former Barcelona man is battling a hamstring strain.

Neymar is joined on the sidelines by Victor Hugo, who is dealing with a similar injury, while defenders Joao Basso and Mayke are also not fit enough to return to action.

Defender Igor Vinicius will likely be at the back once again for the hosts, after he was Santos’ best player in that 3-0 defeat last weekend, winning 100% of his aerial duals and 67% of his ground duals.

Corinthians’ infirmary list is just as bad as the hosts', with four players out through injury, including midfielders Rodrigo Garro (calf), Charles (knee), Andre Carrillo (ankle) and defender Andre Ramalho (hamstring).

Former Manchester United striker Memphis Depay has recovered from an injury and played 18 minutes last weekend, but he featured both games for his country during the international break and registered two goals and two assists, so the coach may be tempted to play him; however, considering his travels, the Dutch player may have to settle for another appearance off the bench.

On that note, midfielder Breno Bidon has impressed both halves of Manchester, while several other European clubs are now after the attacking midfielder’s signature, so he could follow in Depay’s footsteps and end up at Old Trafford in the near future.

Bidon has potential and has delivered consistent performances whenever he has been given a chance, so he will be crucial for the visitors during the week.

Santos possible starting lineup:

Brazao; Vinicius, Duarte, Frias, Escobar; Joao Schmidt, Ze Rafael, Rincon, Rollheiser; Guilherme, Diaz

Corinthians possible starting lineup:

Souza; Matheuzinho, Pedro, Henrique, Bidu; Raniele, J. Martinez, Maycon; Bidon; Negao, Alberto