The decision of the Supercopa do Brasil, between Atlético-MG and Flamengo, takes place this Sunday (20), at 4 pm (Brasilia time), at Arena Pantanal, in Cuiabá. THE National Radio broadcasts the duel live, with narration by André Luiz Mendes, comments by Waldir Luiz and reporting by Bruno Mendes. The dispute, however, was anticipated behind the scenes, inciting one of the biggest interstate rivalries in the country.
The ball that will roll with SOLD OUT TICKETS! ⚽️
?️ All 31,219 available seats at Arena Pantanal will be occupied on Sunday for the #SupercopaDoBrasil!
? Lucas Figueiredo / CBF pic.twitter.com/TmW1oPSxgK
— CBF Futebol (@CBF_Futebol) February 18, 2022
The delay in defining the location of the match culminated in the exchange of barbs between club officials. The duel, initially, would be at Mané Garrincha, in Brasília, but the increase in cases of the new coronavirus (covid-19) in the Federal District led to the restriction of the presence of fans in the stadium, making the game unfeasible for the last two years – both with titles for Flamengo, over Athletico-PR (2020) and Palmeiras (2021).
The lack of consensus on the decision stage took almost a month and the choice of Cuiabá by the Brazilian Football Confederation (CBF) displeased Atlético, who had already refused to take the game to the Northeast, where Flamengo has great fans. Cariocas, in turn, disagreed with Atletico’s idea of having the duel at Mineirão, in Belo Horizonte. The miners’ argument was that the club had been both Brazilian and Copa do Brasil champions last year. Rubro-Negro qualified for the dispute as runner-up in the 2021 Series A.
“Regarding the fans, we probably won’t play in Brazil, because anywhere in the country the Flamengo fans will be the majority. It’s simple, it’s life as it is”, declared Flamengo vice-president Marcos Braz at a press conference. at the end of January.
More images of Mengão’s departure from CT Ninho do Urubu! ?⚽️ #VamosFlamengo
?: @mcortesdasilva8 /CRF pic.twitter.com/pPMy2UeTNw
— Flamengo (@Flamengo) February 19, 2022
Atlético expressed itself in a letter to the CBF, in which President Sérgio Coelho considered the decision to be in the Pantanal Arena an “injustice”. The leader criticized a supposed “lack of isonomy” by the entity and said that Flamengo knew about the choice of headquarters in advance, having done “since the 7th [de fevereiro]booking the best hotel in town”.
On the field, the duel pits two of the three most expensive squads in Brazil, according to the website Transfermarkt, which specializes in football finance. Flamengo has the second most valuable team in the country, valued at R$837.7 million, followed by Atlético (R$623.4 million).
Striker Eduardo Vargas, who is recovering from an injury to his left knee, is the only sure absence of coach Antonio Mohamed. Midfielder Matías Zaracho, who felt his thigh in the 2-0 victory over América-MG, last Saturday (12), at Independência, in Belo Horizonte, for the Campeonato Mineiro, is doubtful. The Argentine was not listed for Wednesday’s game (16), at Mineirão, against Athletic, for the State, with a 1-0 victory.
??? Preparation completed: all ready for the duel against Flamengo, for the Supercup decision.#VamoRooster ??️ pic.twitter.com/xU7zbNpAnd
— Atletico ? (@Atletico) February 19, 2022
The probable Rooster this Sunday will have Everson, Mariano, Diego Godín, Nathan Silva and Guilherme Arana; Jair, Allan and Nacho Fernández; Jefferson Savarino, Hulk and Keno.
At Flamengo, coach Paulo Sousa has two confirmed casualties: defender Rodrigo Caio, who is treating a knee injury, and midfielder Thiago Maia, who suffered a cut in his leg during training. The doubt is midfielder Andreas Pereira, who felt his left ankle on Wednesday, in the 2-1 victory over Madureira, at Conselheiro Galvão, in Rio de Janeiro, for the Campeonato Carioca.
Rubro-Negro should play with Diego Alves; Mauricio Isla, Fabrício Bruno, David Luiz and Filipe Luís; Willian Arão, Giorgian de Arrascaeta and Everton Ribeiro; Bruno Henrique, Pedro and Gabriel.
