Depleted Corinthians face crucial away run, aiming to turn things around | OneFootball

Depleted of some of its main starters and in fluctuation, the Corinthians is facing a series of two consecutive 'decisions' away from home and is looking to turn the tide. First, Timão faces Vasco da Gama for the 21st round of the Brazilian Championship, where it is in a complicated situation. Then, it takes on Athletico-PR in the first leg of the quarter-finals of the Copa do Brasil.

In the Brazilian Championship, Corinthians is going through a delicate moment and has not won for six rounds, with three losses and three draws. The São Paulo team is in 14th place, with 22 points - just three points more than Vitória, which opens the relegation zone.

Timão, therefore, will have another direct clash in the fight against relegation, this time against Vasco, which is also very close to the Z4. Besides the importance of breaking the drought in the Brazilian Championship and winning again after six games, a victory would also be important to relieve pressure and boost morale for the Copa do Brasil.

Corinthians, in fact, is banking on its good recent record against Vasco to try to come out victorious against the Rio team. Of the last 15 games between the teams, Timão has won 11 victories, with three other draws. Cruzmaltino won only once.

The offensive and defensive sectors of the São Paulo team also usually work well against Vasco. In the same cut of the 15 matches, Corinthians scored 32 goals and suffered 12. Thus, the São Paulo team relies on good numbers to win again in the Brazilian Championship. The ball rolls this Sunday, at 4pm (Brasília time), at São Januário.

The big problem is that, for this Sunday's duel, Timão will not have two very important pieces of its starting attack: Yuri Alberto and Memphis. In addition, Dorival will also not have the injured Carrillo, José Martínez and Hugo available. The quintet will also be out for the first leg of the Copa do Brasil.

Corinthians tries to 'go unscathed' against Athletico-PR for a chance at the title

After facing Vasco over the weekend, Corinthians also has a decision ahead, this time for the Copa do Brasil. Timão visits Athletico-PR from 9:30 pm this Wednesday, at the Arena da Baixada, in the first leg of the quarter-finals.

With the first match being away from home, Corinthians has the option to try to 'go unscathed' to seek qualification at home, with the support of the Fiel Torcida. This does not mean that Timão will give up playing its game, but a draw, for example, would not be a bad result.

Corinthians still has a trump card to try to go unscathed: it has not conceded goals in this edition of the Copa do Brasil. In four matches (two against Novorizontino and two against Palmeiras), Timão managed to contain the rival attacks and showed defensive security.

The Copa do Brasil is the only chance Corinthians has to win another title in 2025 - especially since, as mentioned above, the situation in the Brasileirão is not good. Precisely for this reason, there is a doubt whether the Alvinegro will prioritize the knockout tournament or the Serie A.

The fact is that Corinthians, in the next few days, will have two important decisions away from home, and will need to overcome the bad numbers as a visitor this season if it wants to come out with good results. In 24 matches, there were eight victories, eight draws and eight losses, with a performance of 44.4%, in addition to 21 goals scored and 28 suffered.

This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇧🇷 here.