Why Is Neymar Not Playing Tonight for Santos vs Palmeiras?

Santos FC's next game in the Brazilian league is against the team who top of the league table, Palmeiras.

Palmeiras is 1st in the Brazilian league with 32 points after 13 league games played, while Santos is 17th with 14 points after 13 league games played and currently sits in the relegation zone.

Santos fans hope to see Neymar in action after missing the previous Brazilian league game against Bahia last weekend.

During the week, Neymar returned to the Santos squad and played against San Lorenzo in their third Copa Sudamericana group stage match of Group D, where the match ended in a 1- 1 draw.

Neymar played the full game and did not suffer an injury, but the Brazilian star is not part of the starting lineup for Santos tonight against Palmeiras.

PEIXÃO ESCALADO PRO CLÁSSICO! pic.twitter.com/1qC4bxD6LE

— Santos FC (@SantosFC) May 2, 2026

Santos FC's Reason to not play Neymar

Ahead of the Palmeiras match, Santos FC manager Cuca mentioned that Neymar may miss the match due to concerns about the artificial pitch Palmeiras has at the Allianz Parque in São Paulo, Brazil.

Cuca said, "Regarding the Palmeiras match, I don't know if I'll rely on Neymar or Gabigol, because of the issues you know about regarding their opinion on the artificial turf. We'll talk to them, and of course, if we can rely on them, we'll be stronger."

Santos confirmed that Neymar is not in the squad, and reports from Brazil suggest that the Brazilian player does not want to risk getting injured as he still hopes to earn a call-up to the national team for the World Cup.

Neymar is expected to play for Santos' next game, which is against Recoleta in the Copa Sudamericana.

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This story was originally published May 2, 2026 at 4:47 PM.