IMPORTANT PIECE IN THE GROUP ASKS TO LEAVE THE CLUB AND MAY BE EMBEDDED AGAINST FLAMENGO

Corinthians will have goalkeeper Hugo Souza in the two clashes against Flamengo in the semi-finals of the Copa do Brasil. The draw, held this Friday at the CBF headquarters, determined that the São Paulo club will play the second match at home, at the Neo Química Arena. The semi-finals are scheduled for the 2nd and 16th of October.

Hugo Souza's contract, which belongs to Mais Querido, provides that Corinthians can acquire 50% of the goalkeeper's economic rights from next month . For the loan until the end of the year, the São Paulo club has already disbursed 200 thousand euros (approximately R$ 1.19 million). Now, to keep Hugo Souza permanently, it will be necessary to pay 800 thousand euros (R$ 4.7 million).

In the Brasileirão match , played at the beginning of September, Corinthians had to pay R$500,000 so that Hugo Souza could play against Flamengo, a clause included in the goalkeeper's contract. However, Timão is now seeking to avoid further payments of this fine, which, if repeated in the two semi-final games, would total R$1 million.

Fabinho Soldado, football executive at Corinthians, explained that the club is working to guarantee Hugo's presence without the need for further disbursements. “We already made a payment in the first game of the Brazilian Championship, and the idea is to continue counting on Hugo. We have confidence in all our goalkeepers, but he arrived and established himself as a starter, so we hope he will be available for the two semi-final games”, said the manager.

Hugo Souza, who arrived at Alvinegro at the beginning of this year, played a decisive role in Timão's 2-1 victory over Mengão in the Brasileirão, in September. Although he did not avoid the penalty goal scored by Pedro, the goalkeeper stood out with important saves that guaranteed Corinthians' triumph against his former club.

Now, with the decisive games for the Copa do Brasil approaching, Corinthians is moving behind the scenes to ensure that Hugo Souza is available and continues to play a fundamental role in the squad.

Rafinha Alcântara, currently without a club since ending his contract with Al-Arabi, from Qatar, in July, made it clear that he has a great connection with Flamengo, even though he has never played in Brazilian football. In an interview with the program Que Partidazo, in 2019, the midfielder, who built his career internationally, revealed that he was a long-time fan of Mais Querido.

During the interview, the 31-year-old player, son of four-time champion Mazinho, recalled his career in European football, where he played for big clubs, such as Barcelona and Paris Saint-Germain. But what caught the attention of Mengão fans was his confession that he dreams of one day wearing the CRF shirt.

“I do think about playing for Flamengo. Everyone knows that I'm a big fan and supporter of the club. I followed and was very happy with the Brasileirão and Libertadores titles. It’s a dream to wear the Flamengo shirt”, said Rafinha Alcântara, generating euphoria among the red and black fans.

After his public statement, Flamengo's board of directors even investigated the situation of the player, who at the time was still linked to European football and had no intention of returning to Brazil. Now, without a club and free on the market, Rafinha can arrive at the Rio club without transfer costs, but Mengão's directors do not seem to have the athlete as a priority at the moment.

Still, there is speculation that Rafinha Alcântara could be made official at Gávea for the 2025 season, depending on changes in the squad and technical committee, which is currently led by Tite.

Rafinha Alcântara began his career in Barcelona's youth teams, where he played until being promoted to the professional squad. Over the years, he has spent time at clubs such as Celta de Vigo, Inter Milan, Real Sociedad, as well as Paris Saint-Germain, where he played alongside Neymar. His last club was Al-Arabi, in Qatar, where he played 40 matches, scored nine goals and provided 10 assists.

Grêmio will not have defender Jemerson for the game with Flamengo, on Sunday, at 6:30 pm, at the Arena. Although he only received one yellow card with the Tricolor shirt in the Brazilian Championship, the player already had two for Atlético-MG and is suspended for the match.

The defender would already be in doubt, because he left the draw with the Red Bull Bragantino with muscle discomfort precisely in the same place where he had suffered an injury. Although it was just a precaution, the player did not participate in any of the week's activities.

In addition to Jemerson's absence, defender Rodrigo Ely is also a problem, as he felt pain again, still during the warm-up. of the game with Bragantino. The defender did not appear in training in the same way.

On the other hand, Grêmio once again has defenders Gustavo Martins and Kannemann, who were suspended over the weekend. The duo may even return to work together at the Arena. Rodrigo Caio, Geromel and Natã are the options for the sector.

Another absence will be coach Renato Portaluppi, who will serve the second game of his punishment from the Superior Court of Sports Justice (STJD) and does not command the team. With the departure of Alexandre Mendes, who was being investigated on suspicion of violence against women, Marcelo Salles or James Freitas will be the coaches.