Neymar's Flu Scare Ahead of Crucial Derby for Santos
Santos have been handed a scare on the eve of their biggest week of the season, with Neymar Jr. forced out of tactical training at CT Rei Pelé due to flu-like symptoms.
The captain missed Friday’s session just as Cuca was sharpening his plans for a high-stakes derby away to Corinthians, raising immediate fears that the club’s talisman could be sidelined for the decisive clash.
The alarm did not last long.
Club doctors chose a cautious route, pulling the forward from training to avoid any risk of his condition worsening before a run of season-defining fixtures. Santos later moved to calm nerves with an official medical update:
“The athlete Neymar Jr. presented flu-like symptoms and was rested from Friday's (August 28) training session, following advice from the Health Department.”
The expectation inside the club is that Neymar will return to training on Saturday and remain available for selection in the derby. For Cuca, that news changes everything.
Neymar has carried the Santos attack this season. Nine goals, eight assists, 24 appearances. When he plays, the team has a cutting edge. When he doesn’t, the drop-off is brutal.
Santos felt that reality the hard way in the Copa do Brasil, crumbling to a 3-0 defeat against Palmeiras when their captain was absent. That night still hangs over the squad. They know what they look like without him, and it is not the version they want to take into a relegation fight.
And make no mistake, that is exactly where they are.
Santos head into the derby at Corinthians with the Campeonato Brasileiro relegation zone lurking just two points beneath them. One bad week and the table stops being a warning and becomes a sentence.
Cuca’s selection puzzle only grows more complicated. Joao Schmidt is suspended after an accumulation of bookings. Gabriel Menino is out with a knee sprain. The spine of the side is creaking at the worst possible moment, which is why Neymar’s presence feels non-negotiable.
The schedule offers no mercy.
After Corinthians, Santos must attempt the improbable: overturning a three-goal deficit against Palmeiras in the Copa do Brasil quarter-final second leg. Then comes a demanding away trip to Internacional, the final hurdle before the domestic calendar pauses for the break.
Three games. One flu scare. A squad stretched thin.
If Neymar does step back onto the pitch as expected, Santos will lean on him again, hoping their captain can drag them clear of the drop zone and keep their cup dream alive for one more night.
