Corinthians refuse to lose in order to see Cruzeiro relegated | OneFootball

Corinthians face a very desperate Ceará on Wednesday and, unlike most matches between the two clubs, there is a lot to play for.

With just two games to play, Ceará are in 16th place on 38 points, just two points above Cruzeiro.

Corinthians, meanwhile, can still qualify for the 2020 Copa Libertadores but they will need a minor miracle in order to do so.

Corinthians (53 points) are currently four points behind sixth-placed São Paulo and would also have to leapfrog Internacional in order to capture their unlikely berth.

Knowing that their chances to qualify for South America’s premier tournament are slim, some Corinthians supporters want their club to lay an egg against Ceará in order to boost Cruzeiro’s chances of being relegated.

Though Corinthians players would undoubtedly want revenge on Cruzeiro for their 2018 Copa do Brasil final victory, the squad refuse to lose as long as they have something to play for.

“Since when I started playing football, never come on to deliver a match. We are men and we have character,” Gabriel said in a press conference on Tuesday.

“You can be sure that we will not and cannot do it, even out of respect for our shirt.

“Like I said, we have a very big goal this season, which is to secure a place in Libertadores. The whole group is focused on playing a great game tomorrow.”

Janderson added: “This (losing on purpose) is something we will not do, right. We need a place in Libertadores, the three points.

“We will fight to return to São Paulo with the three points.”

São Paulo would clinch the final Copa Libertadores place with a victory over Internacional on Wednesday.