São Paulo changed course for its copa sudamericana trip to Bogotá, leaving seven regular starters at home before Tuesday’s match against Millonarios at El Campín. Roger Machado chose a rotated group and sent less-used players into a third-round game that still carried weight for Group C.
Roger Machado’s altered XI
The lineup Machado listed was Coronel, Cédric, Alan Franco, Sabino, Nicolas, Luan, Dória, Djhordney, Cauly, Tapia and André Silva. Nicolas, Dória and Djhordney were among the players given minutes, while Lucas Ramon, Rafael Tolói, Enzo Díaz, Danielzinho, Artur, Luciano and Calleri did not travel to Colombia.
That left São Paulo with a different look for a match set for 21:30 on Tuesday, April 28, in Bogotá. The club still arrived with control of Group C, sitting on six points before kickoff.
Group C before kickoff
O’Higgins and Millonarios were level on three points apiece, leaving São Paulo with the cushion at the top and Boston River on no points. The standings made the rotation harder to dismiss as a routine change; São Paulo was not chasing from behind, but protecting its position while managing the squad across continental play.
Millonarios entered the match with the same three-point total as O’Higgins, so the Bogotá fixture sat inside a tight middle of the group where one result could shift the order below São Paulo. The choice to rest seven starters pointed to a clear priority on depth, not just the single night in El Campín.
El Campín and the broadcast window
The match was scheduled for El Campín in Bogotá in the third round of the Copa Sudamericana. SBT,, YouTube on SBT Sports and Disney+ carried the game, giving the lineup decision a wider audience than a normal league rotation would draw.
São Paulo’s move also left a practical read for the rest of Group C: the leader had room to rotate, while the teams on three points still had to squeeze value from every game. For supporters watching the group table, the roster sheet was the clearest sign that Roger Machado was treating the trip as a chance to spread minutes without surrendering control of first place.
