Fortaleza, CE — Palmeiras go face Ceará on Wednesday, April 30, for the first leg of the Copa do Brasil third round. The match dey happen for Arena Castelão by 7:30 PM (Brasília time). Dis match na chance for both teams to show dem strength as dem gather to secure quarterfinal spots.
Abel Ferreira, the coach of Palmeiras, dey plan to make changes to the starting lineup. Di team don suffer a recent 1-0 defeat to Bahia, which end dem seven-game winning streak. Currently, Palmeiras dey second on di Brasileirão table with 13 points, just behind Flamengo.
Coach Ferreira go need make adjustments due to physical fatigue wey affect some players. Raphael Veiga and Mayke dey questionable for di match. Murilo also dey among di injury concerns after his recovery. Meanwhile, Marcos Rocha go no play due to individual training, and Bruno Rodrigues plus Micael dey out because of injury recovery.
For dis game, di probable lineup for Palmeiras include: Weverton; Giay, Gustavo Gómez, Benedetti (or Murilo), and Piquerez; Richard Ríos, Lucas Evangelista, and Maurício; Estêvão, Vitor Roque, and Paulinho.
Ceará, on di other hand, dey enter di match after eliminating Sergipe and Confiança in previous rounds. Di Vovô don show strength for home games dis season, with 13 matches undefeated, collecting nine wins and four draws since di start of 2025.
In di last encounter between di two teams, Palmeiras defeated Ceará 2-1 in 2022 at Castelão. As di hosts, Ceará dey expect to maintain their unbeaten record. Di team come off a 1-1 draw with São Paulo and dey prepared to face Palmeiras with full strength.
Ceará probable lineup include: Fernando Miguel; Fabiano Souza, Marllon, Willian Machado, and Matheus Bahia; Dieguinho, Fernando Sobral, and Lucas Mugni; Galeano, Pedro Henrique, and Pedro Raul.
With dem both teams focus on three competitions — Copa do Brasil, Brasileirão, and Libertadores — dis match go be crucial for both sides as dem continue to chase success dis season. Di game fit set di tone for dia next matches, especially for Palmeiras, as dem prepare to face Vasco too in di Brasileiro.
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