Flamengo, who will face Vélez Sarsfield on Wednesday in the first leg of the Copa Libertadores semifinals, traveled to Argentina on Monday with center back David Luiz, who had been treated for hepatitis, but without veteran striker Marinho.
The inclusion of David Luiz in the delegation of the Carioca team that traveled to Argentina was a surprise since he had missed the last few games because he had been being treated for hepatitis.
Coach Dorival Júnior stated that David Luiz’s presence in the match will be defined this Tuesday, when the Rio de Janeiro team will hold its only training session.
Striker Marinho had a fever on Sunday, so the doctors did not authorize his trip.
Also surprising was the inclusion in the delegation of goalkeeper Diego Alves, Flamengo’s regular but who had been replaced by Santos while recovering from an injury. His starting squad lineup, however, is less likely.
The Flamengo delegation will carry out its only practice this Tuesday at the Boca Juniors headquarters.
Flamengo hopes to scratch at least one point in Wednesday’s game at the José Amalfitani stadium in Buenos Aires to have an advantage in the second leg, scheduled for September 7 at the Maracaná in Rio de Janeiro.
“We expect a good result. We have a very strong team. A team that, when focused, can do things well and cause damage to any opponent,” said Chilean midfielder Arturo Vidal in statements to the club’s FlaTV channel.
“We know that it will be very difficult against Vélez because they are very strong playing at home. But we hope to be lucky, take advantage of the opportunities and play a match worthy of a semifinal,” added Vidal, who highlighted the difficulty of beating Argentine teams at home in decisive matches of international championships.
One of Flamengo’s main priorities in the current season is the Libertadores title, of which they were champions in 2019 and which they missed in 2021 when they fell in the final against fellow Brazilian Palmeiras.
The other semifinal is disputed precisely by Palmeiras and the also Brazilian Athletico Paranaense.
With the medical discharge received by David Luiz, Dorival Júnior will have at his disposal on Wednesday all the starters he usually uses both in the Libertadores matches and in those of the Copa do Brasil, in which he is also already registered in the semifinals.
The alternative team, led by Vidal, is used for League matches, which did not prevent the Rio de Janeiro club from ascending to second place in the Brazilian Championship standings on Sunday, although at a distance of seven points from the leader Palmeiras.
If the defender is confirmed as a starter, Flamengo’s line-up against Vélez Sarfield would be as follows: Santos; Rodinei, David Luiz, Léo Pereira, Filipe Luis; Thiago Maia, João Gomes, Everton Ribeiro, Giorgian de Arrascaeta; Gabriel Barbosa ‘Gabigol’ and Pedro. EFE
