The night of this Wednesday (17) will be decisive for Athletico-PR and Flamengo, who are dueling in Curitiba for a place in the semifinals of the Copa do Brasil. After a goalless draw in the first leg of the quarterfinals in Rio de Janeiro, whoever wins today will not only continue to pursue the title, but will also pocket R$8 million in prize money from the CBF. The clash at Arena da Baixada, at 9:30 pm (Brasília time), will be broadcast live on National Radio at Arena da Baixada, with narration by André Luiz Mendes, comments by Waldir Luiz, reporting and news duty with Bruno Mendes.
HURRICANE DAY!
BOWL DAY!
?️?⚫️ #athletic #Brazil’s Cup pic.twitter.com/CC15bh4UHf— Athletico Paranaense (@AthleticoPR) August 17, 2022
The Hurricane will have the crowded Arena da Baixada in its favor. According to the club, all tickets sold out yesterday afternoon (16). Tonight’s match promises to be very different from the 5-0 rout suffered by Athletico-PR at Maracanã, last Sunday (14th) for the Brazilian Championship, with both teams full of reserves. That’s what Hurricane coach Luiz Felipe Scolari thinks, the tournament’s biggest champion, with four titles: 1991 (for Criciúma), 1994 (Grêmio), 1998 (Palmeiras) and 2012 (Palmeiras).
“We have to think that it is a game worth qualifying, that we play at home, a match that we will play with more experts in this aerial ball. We cannot make the same mistakes. Let’s see if we can make it not disturbing for our team to lose a game”, said the coach during a press conference, after the loss to Rubro-Negro.
Felipão will not be able to count on one of the main assets of the Hurricane in recent games: forward Vitor Roque, who has already competed in the Copa do Brasil for other clubs this year. Among the players recovering in the medical department are midfielder Christian, midfielder Marlos and striker Marcelo Cirino.
Hurricane must enter the field with Bento; Khellven, Thiago Heleno, Pedro Henrique and Abner; Fernandinho, Hugo Moura and Erick; Canobbio, Terans and Cuello (Pablo).
TODAY THERE’S MENGÃO IN THE WEDNESDAY FINAL OF THE BRAZILIAN CUP!
At 9:30 pm, Mais Querido faces Athletico-PR, at Arena da Baixada, in the return game! Let’s go with everything in search of the classification! #CAPxFLA #VamosFlamengo pic.twitter.com/f0p1Cr1KjO
— Flamengo (@Flamengo) August 17, 2022
Flamengo arrives at Arena da Baixada with high morale. The team led by coach Dorival Júnior has won the last five matches, and is unbeaten in 10 matches in the three competitions it disputes: Brasileirão, Copa do Brasil and Libertadores. The team’s good performance, however, is not synonymous with guaranteed classification, in the view of coach Dorival Júnior.
“On the other side is one of the biggest competition winners in our country: Luiz Felipe Scolari. So I think that sums up what the match will be like. [a goleada de 5 a 0]. We will have a completely different game, very disputed, it will demand from both teams and I hope that we are very well prepared for a great game”, evaluated the coach.
Among Flamengo’s absences tonight are David Luiz and Thiago Maia, who are currently suspended. In their place, Dorival Júnior can choose to climb Fabrício Bruno and Vidal, respectively. After the last training session before boarding to Curitiba yesterday afternoon (16), the club published the related list.
The probable lineup of the Carioca Rubro-Negro should be with Santos; Rodinei, Fabrício Bruno, Léo Pereira and Filipe Luís; Vidal, João Gomes, Everton Ribeiro and Arrascaeta; Peter and Gabriel.
