Flamengo, champion of the Libertadores, and Independiente del Valle, champion of the South American, dispute the first leg of the Recopa in Quito
The rubronegro from Rio de Janeiro is in crisis after losing the Superacopa do Brasil and falling in the semifinals of the Club World Cup
Flamengo and Independiente del Valle will play this coming morning (at 01:30 CET) the first leg of the 2023 Recopa Sudamericana, in Quito (Ecuador), tournament that will crown the continental super champion. The return is scheduled in a week in Maracana.
The current champion of the Libertadores de América arrives bitten and in crisis to a new final, after accumulating two hits at the start of the season, which have already left their new coach, the Portuguese Victor Pereiraagainst the ropes.The KO in the Supercopa do Brasil against Palmeiras (4-3)in a duel in Brasilia between the two teams that have shared the main local and continental competitions in recent seasons, it hurt a lot.
Yet nothing can compare to the disappointment caused by the defeat against Al-Hilal (2-3) in the semifinals of the 2023 Club World Cup, in Morocco.
The cariocas had set themselves the main objective of the first half of the year to win the ‘Mundialito’ and they were convinced that they had the potential and motivation to beat Real Madrid in a hypothetical final… but their arrogance (they provoked the whites since the celebration of the Libertadores) ended up taking its toll on them.
Now, the Recopa Sudamericana has become an obligation, but, in no case, will it be able to clean up the image of a team that has been badly affected at the start of the season.
All accusing fingers point in the direction of Vitor Pereira, who could follow in the footsteps of his compatriot Paulo Sousa, who was only five months in office at the start of 2022, and to the management of the entity for having dismissed Dorival Juniorafter having added a double with the Copa Libertadores and the Copa do Brasil.
Independiente del Valle, who already lost against Flamengo in the 2020 edition, arrives at the event much more rested, because he has only played one game in 2023. The team led by the Argentine Martín Anselmi, beat Aucas 3-0 in the final of the Ecuadorian Super Cup.
