Brasileirão Série A Preview: Santos Host Fluminense – Can Neymar Inspire a Turnaround?

Match Background & Qualification Scenarios

The 2025 Campeonato Brasileiro Série A season features 20 teams competing in a double round-robin format over 38 rounds [25, 36, 39]. The league standings determine qualification for continental club competitions and relegation. The top four teams directly qualify for the Copa Libertadores group stage, while the fifth and sixth-placed teams enter the preliminary rounds [18, 25, 36, 39]. The next six teams (7th to 12th) secure berths in the Copa Sudamericana [18, 25]. Conversely, the bottom four teams (17th to 20th) face relegation to Série B [18, 25, 36, 39].

Santos made their return to the top flight of Brazilian football after winning the 2024 Campeonato Brasileiro Série B title [5, 27]. This season is crucial for Santos to consolidate their position in the top division. Fluminense, on the other hand, are competing in their 23rd consecutive Série A season in 2025 and will be aiming for a strong performance to secure international qualification [29]. Recent reports indicate Santos are currently in 15th place with 21 points, while Fluminense show strong momentum, making this match pivotal for both sides [15].

Recent Form

Santos have struggled with their recent form, enduring consecutive defeats including a 0-2 loss to Bahia and a crushing 0-6 defeat to Vasco da Gama [15]. Their sole recent bright spot was a 2-1 victory over Cruzeiro, with a revitalized Neymar scoring twice [15]. However, defensive vulnerabilities are evident, with 31 goals conceded in 20 matches being a significant concern [15]. Overall, Santos' recent record stands at L-L-W [15, 16].

Fluminense have navigated a demanding schedule recently, securing five wins in their last nine matches, indicating growing momentum [15]. While they suffered narrow league defeats to Bahia (0-1) and Bragantino (2-4), victories against America de Cali and Fortaleza underscore their potential [15]. Fluminense displays tactical maturity, having amassed 25 corners in their last five games with a pass completion rate of nearly 83%, highlighting their possession-based and wing-oriented attacking style [15]. Their recent form is reflected as L-L-W-W-W [15, 16].

Key Players & Injury News

For Santos, the form of superstar Neymar will be pivotal. Having returned to his roots from Al-Hilal, he has shown good form recently, scoring two goals, despite a previous thigh injury and a yellow card suspension that ended on August 23rd, making him available for this match [8, 13, 15, 16]. Confirmed absentees for Santos include João Basso and Willian Arão, both sidelined with injuries [10, 16].

For Fluminense, several key players are battling injuries. Otávio is expected to be out with an Achilles tendon injury [7, 16, 41]. Ignacio is also likely unavailable due to a knee injury sustained in July [7, 35]. Furthermore, the experienced Thiago Silva, suffering from a thigh muscle injury since August 5th, is expected to be out for at least four weeks, making his participation in this match highly unlikely [35]. Fluminense's attacking threat will largely come from Agustín Canobbio, who has contributed two goals and two assists in his last five matches, alongside Kevin Serna, Matheus Martinelli, and striker Germán Cano [11, 15, 22, 28, 37].