Ranked and with first place assured, the Flamengo had the luxury of saving players in the 2-1 victory over Sporting Cristal in the last round of the group stage of the Liberators cup. At least six starters were given rest in this match, the last one before the weekend’s Fla-Flu.
Starting with Willian Arão, who served suspension and did not play. Matheuzinho, Rodrigo Caio and Everton Ribeiro didn’t even come off the bench. Bruno Henrique even went to the field, but only in the final stretch of the second half. Arrascaeta was not listed.
“It was a precaution (Arrascaeta out). In the last three games he has been feeling pain in the adductor and we gave him more recovery time to be 100% at the weekend”, revealed Paulo Sousa before the game with Sporting Cristal.
In addition to those considered starters, Andreas Pereira was also used for a few minutes against the Peruvians. Vitinho, even though he recovered from a muscle injury, was preserved precisely to be an option in the classic with the FluminenseSunday, at Maracanã.
The “fresh legs”, especially from players in the offensive sector, can be an asset for Flamengo to overcome a rival that has been giving them headaches. Rubro-Negro hasn’t beaten Fluminense for five games, with four defeats and a draw, which earned them the state vice-president and the frustration of not getting the unprecedented tetra.
It is worth noting that Flamengo has already lost to Botafogo no Brazilian championship, and a new defeat in the classic would put even more pressure on Paulo Sousa’s team. This Wednesday, the squad is off duty, which further reinforces the importance of breathing to face a rather indigestible opponent.
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