Cuca rules out saving players at Athletico

The escalation of Athletico with maximum strength in the match against Rayo Zuliano surprised the fans before the match for the South American, the first at home as home team in the competition. The team came from a 3-0 victory over Maringá last Saturday (6), which won the second Paraná championship, and is about to debut in the Brasileirãoagainst Cuiabá, next Sunday (14).

But coach Cuca didn’t care about rotating the team and only missed one player – Argentine midfielder Zapelli, who had stomach problems. Furthermore, he sent the starting team to the field with Bento; Léo Godoy, Pedro Henrique, Thiago Heleno and Esquivel; Fernandinho, Erick and Cuello; Canobbio, Julimar and Pablo.

On the field, Furacão took no notice of the Venezuelan team and scored a 6-0 rout at the Ligga Arena. Without Bento practicing any defense, Rubro-Negro scored with Fernandinho, Esquivel, Canobbio (2), Pablo and Mastriani, maintaining the lead in Group E and 100% in the competition.

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“I’m not worried about wear and tear, because the guys here are very professional. We didn’t celebrate the (Paranaense) title. We were champions, everyone went to their own house, there was no party, and there was work the next day. And they were ready to play (against Zuliano). Physiologically, everyone was in good condition. I have no reason to worry about whether you’re in good condition, if you’re only going to play on Sunday, and today is Tuesday. But, other than that, I’m not worried because tomorrow We trained early. A very professional group, where they rest and recover well, there is no need to preserve anyone. We have to continue on this good streak that we are on.”, he said in a press conference after the game.

In the second half, Cuca introduced Alex Santana, Christian, Mastriani, Madson and Di Yorio in place of Leo Godoy, Fernandinho, Cuello, Julimar and Pablo, respectively. The coach praised the team’s performance, especially in the first stage.

“The team behaved well from the first moment and competed hard, which is very important in this competition, they imposed themselves and showed their game. Naturally, we took control of the spaces, we made good use of the speed with the men in front. And we made a great game, especially in the first stage, with four goals and creating a lot. In the second stage, of course the pace slowed down, but even so he continued to play well”.

With seven games and seven wins under his belt, Cuca also highlighted the importance of Athletico qualifying first in the group in the South American Championship.

“I’ve been running well, almost everyone has had opportunities. Preserve players when necessary. This championship really rewards those who come in first, you bring all the knockouts home later. Only the first one passes, the second one will compete with the Libertadores teams. We can’t spare, we have to come first in our bracket”, he highlighted.

The next match in the South American Championship will be against Danube, from Uruguay, on April 24th, a Wednesday, at 7pm, in Montevideo, Uruguay, for the third round. Athletico returns to the field in the debut of Brasileirão 2024, against Cuiabánext Sunday (14), at 4pm, again at the Ligga Arena.