Água Santa faces Palmeiras this Sunday, February 9, at 6:30 PM (Brasília time), for the eighth round of the Campeonato Paulista 2025. The match will take place at the Arena BRB Mané Garrincha in Brasília, marking the first time these teams play outside the state of São Paulo.
The Paulista Football Federation (FPF) has announced the officiation team for the game: João Vitor Gobi will referee, assisted by Luiz Alberto Andrini Nogueira and Leandro Matos Feitosa, with Douglas Marques das Flores as the fourth official. The Video Assistant Referee (VAR) will be overseen by Adriano de Assis Miranda.
Tickets for the Água Santa versus Palmeiras game are available for purchase on the website www.bilheteriadigital.com. It promises to be an exciting match, especially since the Arena BRB Mané Garrincha can host over 72,000 fans, having been the venue for many significant sporting events.
Team lineups will be revealed one hour before kickoff through the clubs' social media and official communication channels. The last time these teams met was 14 months ago, during the finals of the 2023 Paulistão, where Água Santa clinched victory with a 2-1 scoreline but later lost the return match 4-0, finishing as runners-up.
Water Santa aims to shine again, having experienced mixed results recently, highlighted by their last suffering defeat at the hands of Guarani (4-0). Meanwhile, Palmeiras seeks to keep its momentum after drawing 1-1 with rivals Corinthians.
Entering this matchup, Palmeiras is currently occupying the second position with 12 points, just four behind Group D leader São Bernardo, aiming to climb back to the top. Figueiredo emphasized the game's importance, saying, "It will be a very important game for us to move up the table and try to chase São Bernardo, who is doing very well in the competition."
Coach Abel Ferreira has also been trying to instill mental strength within his group, stating, "I have been working hard to study the emotional side of the game. Every player is unique, and the idea is to align everyone on the same frequency."
The match will be broadcast live on several platforms, including Record (open TV), CazéTV (YouTube), and streaming services like UOL Play, Nosso Futebol+, and Zapping.
Palmeiras is also dealing with some absentees. Rony has been included after resolving previous contractual issues, and other key players are out due to injuries: Bruno Rodrigues and Paulinho are recovering from surgeries, making preparation challenging for the team.
On the other side, Água Santa is not only battling their position but also health setbacks; Netinho will miss the game due to suspension after receiving three yellow cards.
The last meeting of these teams reminds fans of the thrilling nature of their encounters, punctuated by Água Santa's remarkable 4-1 victory over Palmeiras back on March 27, 2016. With both teams under pressure, this rematch at the stunning Mané Garrincha is set to deliver high-stakes drama.
With all eyes on this pivotal Paulistão matchup, fans can expect nothing less than high energy and fierce competition on the pitch as both teams strive to achieve their season objectives.