After the morning training session on Tuesday (18) at Ninho do Urubu, coach Zé Ricardo appeared at the Victorino Chermont Press Room to give a press conference. The activity was open to journalists, who were able to follow the team tests carried out by the coach, making adjustments to formations less used in the red-black clashes throughout the season.

Regarding this observation from the press present, Zé spoke about the strategy used to maintain possession. "Even before the match against Católica, we had been working with a few different formations. On that occasion, we decided to use it. The team was defeated, but, in my opinion, we played a game in which we could have achieved a much better result there," commented the coach, who also spoke about the need for future evaluations. "We still have more to evaluate. Tomorrow, during the training match, we will probably use different players to make a 100% decision on match day," he added.

The red-black commander then provided an overview of the situation of attackers Ederson, who is already training normally with the group, and Éverton, who is still recovering.

"Ederson is now fully cleared to be with us on the field. We believe he can still improve his fitness. This is the stage he's at. Éverton finished the last part of his transition yesterday, and today was Phase 1 of his readaptation to the field. I hope this will give him more confidence, make him feel better, and during the week, if we decide, both of them can be used," the coach said. "But the week is just beginning for us, and it's still too early to make any decisions," he added.