Corinthians hosts Fortaleza, starting at 9:30 pm (Brasília time) this Tuesday (26) in Itaquera, in the first game of the Copa Sudamericana semi-final. The decisive clash will be broadcast live on Rádio Nacional.
Corinthians, the hosts of this match, arrive motivated. This is due to the fact that they beat Botafogo, leader of the Brazilian Championship, last Friday (22). The match ended with a 1-0 victory for Timão, which moved up to 10th place in the competition. Without major titles since 2017, when they won their last Brasileirão, Corinthians are looking to reach the final of the continental competition to break this fast and also win an unprecedented title.
Multi-champion Vanderlei Luxemburgo is trying to reach another final in his career. Timão’s coach never achieved unanimity among the Corinthians fans, even taking the team to the semi-finals of the Copa do Brasil and now the Copa Sudamericana.
“The players understood our proposal. The pressure will continue and now we have the responsibility of playing two decisive games to reach the final of an important competition. It is important to acquire the advantage”, declared coach Vanderlei Luxemburgo, projecting the clashes against Fortaleza.
Fortaleza is looking for its first international title. The club participates in a continental competition for the fourth time in its history. In the last few matches, the team has been on a great run: there are seven wins in the last eight games (counting Brasileirão and Sul-Americana). One of these victories in the Brazilian Championship was precisely over Corinthians, 2-1 in the capital of Ceará.
Thanks to this good sequence, Fortaleza made a leap in the table and now occupies 8th place, with the aim of qualifying for the next edition of the Copa Libertadores. The other way to reach the biggest competition in South America is precisely through the Sudamericana, as the champion is guaranteed a place in next year’s Liberta.
The northeastern team’s hope for goals is striker Juan Martín Lucero. The Argentine is Fortaleza’s top scorer this season with 20 goals, as well as contributing to serving his teammates with seven assists.
In the last ten games between the teams the balance is great: there are four wins for Corinthians, three wins for Fortaleza and another three draws.
With information from Agência Brasil
The post Corinthians and Fortaleza compete for a place in the South American final appeared first in Jornal de Brasília.
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