São Paulo enters the field this Tuesday against Millonarios in Bogotá, in Colômbia, for the third round of the group stage of Copa Sul-Americana. The match starts at 9:30 pm (Brasília time) at the El Campín stadium and will be broadcast on SBT, ESPN and Disney+. Tricolor leads group C with 100% success — six points in two games — and seeks to extend the advantage gained in previous rounds.
Coach Roger Machado chose to spare seven starting players who remained in São Paulo. The decision aims to prevent injuries and continue the team’s good form in national competitions, where they had two recent victories that eased the pressure on the coach. Mesmo with a missing squad, São Paulo remains favorite in the duel against Millonarios that only occupies 10th place in Campeonato Colombiano.
Desfalques and unavailability on both teams
São Paulo will have seven athletes out. Lucas Moura, Pablo Maia and Marcos Antônio are injured, while Rafael Tolói, Enzo Díaz, Lucas Ramon, Danielzinho, Artur, Luciano and Calleri have been preserved for the remainder of the season. The altitude of Bogotá, which reaches 2,600 meters, also influenced the coach’s strategy, who evaluates climbing a defensive line of three.
Do on the other hand, Millonarios loses its main star. Radamel Falcão García, a 40-year-old center forward with experience in major European clubs, suffered a fractured face during a match against América and Cali and will not be available for the duel.
- São Paulo: Lucas Moura (two rib fracture), Pablo Maia (face and nose fracture), Marcos Antônio (muscle injury)
- Millonarios: Radamel Falcão García (face fracture)
Escalações likely for the confrontation
Millonarios, coached by Argentine Fabián Bustos, comes from a victory against Boston River in the Sul-Americana and is tied with O’Higgins in second place in the group. At home, the Colombian team has won two of its last three games. Sem Falcão, offensive responsibility will fall on Leo Castro and Contreras, accompanied by Darwin Quintero in the creation sector.
São Paulo will field a mixed team maintaining the usual structure. Roger Machado will have Coronel in goal, a defense formed by Cédric, Alan Franco and Sabino, with Nicolas on the right flank. The midfield will have Luan (or Dória), Djhordney and Cauly, while the offensive sector will be in charge of Tapia (or Tetê), Lucca and André Silva.
Millonarios probable: De Amores, Sarabia, Llinás, Arias and Valencia; Ureña, Mateo García, David Silva and Darwin Quintero; Leo Castro and Contreras.
São Paulo probable: Coronel, Cédric, Alan Franco, Sabino and Nicolas; Luan, Djhordney and Cauly; Tapia, Lucca and André Silva.
Contexto of competitions and tactical pressure
Millonarios is in a delicate situation in Campeonato Colombiano, occupying only 10th place at risk of relegation — only eight teams advance to the next phase. Na Sul-Americana, however, the scenario is more promising. The victory against Boston River put the Colombians in the fight for first place in the group, depending only on a good result to keep their chances alive.
São Paulo remains unbeaten in the continental competition. The two previous victories generated confidence that spilled over into the national championship, where the team achieved two consecutive victories that eased the pressure on Roger Machado. The isolated six-point lead offers a comfortable margin for eventual defeat by Bogotá, but Tricolor will seek to preserve 100% success.
Transmissão and referee
The match will be monitored in real time by ge. Juan Benítez, Paraguayan referee, will command the match, with Ulises Mereles in the VAR role. Milciades Saldivar and José Cuevas complete the refereeing as assistants, while Blas Romero acts as the fourth referee.