Santos escala amistosos antes do reinício do Brasileirão

Santos had to cancel its mid-season training camp in Portugal due to changes in the Brazilian football calendar.

Now, according to ge, the board and coaching staff are considering holding training sessions and friendly matches in Brazil itself to prepare the squad before the official competitions resume.

Why was the trip canceled?

The initial plan was for Peixe to travel to Europe in July, where they would face teams such as Gil Vicente, Vitória de Guimarães and Santa Clara, in addition to trying to arrange a match against Benfica.

However, the CBF indicated that the Brazilian Championship match against Botafogo would be brought forward to July 16 — even before the end of the World Cup. The change happened because of the Copa Sudamericana playoffs, where Santos will face Venezuela’s Universidad Central on July 21. Since the time in Portugal would be short, the trip became unfeasible.

"It’s the Brazilian football calendar, especially in a World Cup year like this. We had to make adjustments. We’re going to look into friendlies. The football department is studying training sessions and friendlies right here in Brazil," said Santos president Marcelo Teixeira.

Focus on physical preparation

The coaching staff will have a 24-day period between the end of the players’ vacation and the first official match of the second half of the season. The main goal of the club’s Health Department coordinator, Rodrigo Zogaib, is to use this time to improve the players’ match fitness and physical condition, aiming to avoid the high number of injuries that hurt the team in the first half of the year.

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