The defending champions will be counting on the inspiration of star striker Neymar to inflict defeat upon their city rivals.
Down 1-0 from the first leg at their very own Vila Belmiro stadium last week, Santos are in a must-win situation when they travel to the Pacaembu stadium to confront rivals Corinthians in the semi-finals of the Copa Libertadores on Wednesday.
Santos, who beat Penarol to win the Libertadores for the third time last year, contain one of the strongest squads on the continent, but last week were handed a rare home defeat by a Corinthians side who played exceptional soccer through the duration of the ninety minutes.
While Corinthians picked up a valuable result which extended their unbeaten streak to 11 games, they also managed to keep Neymar at bay, something which few teams know how to do.
But for the return leg, Corinthians will be unable to count with the services of last week's scorer Emerson, who received a red card following a harsh tackle on Neymar.
Despite the fact that Corinthians come into the contest with a valuable advantage, coach Tite said that they will approach the game in the same manner as they did at the Vila Belmiro.
"The team will be aggressive, we will fight to keep the ball, we will mark with strength and will move to the attack, in search of a goal, to look for the victory," affirmed Tite.
With Emerson suspended, Tite has decided to give a start to Willian instead of former Portuguese international Liedson, who hasn't been at his best this season.
Unlike Santos and city rivals Sao Paulo and Palmeiras, Corinthians have never won the Copa Libertadores before, but appear to have exactly what it takes to triumph this year.
But come Wednesday, Neymar and Santos will surely do their utmost to spoil their party. Can Corinthians prevail?
Santos, who beat Penarol to win the Libertadores for the third time last year, contain one of the strongest squads on the continent, but last week were handed a rare home defeat by a Corinthians side who played exceptional soccer through the duration of the ninety minutes.
While Corinthians picked up a valuable result which extended their unbeaten streak to 11 games, they also managed to keep Neymar at bay, something which few teams know how to do.
But for the return leg, Corinthians will be unable to count with the services of last week's scorer Emerson, who received a red card following a harsh tackle on Neymar.
Despite the fact that Corinthians come into the contest with a valuable advantage, coach Tite said that they will approach the game in the same manner as they did at the Vila Belmiro.
"The team will be aggressive, we will fight to keep the ball, we will mark with strength and will move to the attack, in search of a goal, to look for the victory," affirmed Tite.
With Emerson suspended, Tite has decided to give a start to Willian instead of former Portuguese international Liedson, who hasn't been at his best this season.
Unlike Santos and city rivals Sao Paulo and Palmeiras, Corinthians have never won the Copa Libertadores before, but appear to have exactly what it takes to triumph this year.
But come Wednesday, Neymar and Santos will surely do their utmost to spoil their party. Can Corinthians prevail?
