Soccer
When will Pulgar return to Flamengo? There's already a forecast for the midfielder.
16 Ago 2025 | 14:49
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Soccer
28 Jun 2025 | 15:57 |
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Flamengo will have an important absence in its debut in the Club World Cup . Midfielder Nicolás De La Cruz , who was considered a possible reinforcement for the duel against Bayern Munich, this Sunday (29), will not be among those related by Filipe Luís. Despite having started the activities in the training session on Saturday morning (28), the Uruguayan left the field shortly after the start of the activities, still during the period open to the press.
The player's silent departure raised doubts that were later confirmed behind the scenes: he will not play against the Germans. De La Cruz is recovering from a sprained left knee suffered on May 18, during the derby against Botafogo, in the Brazilian Championship. Since then, the number 18 has not played again and has been undergoing intensive treatment with the red-and-black medical department.
On Friday (27), the midfielder gave an interview to FlaTV and showed optimism regarding his return. He said he was focused and working seriously to return to the field, but acknowledged that there were still doubts regarding the recovery time. During the interview, De La Cruz stated that his goal was to be on the field this Sunday. He spoke about his anxiety and desire to contribute, but he said that he would respect the deadlines set by his physiotherapy team.
Despite being cut from the debut, Flamengo has not yet ruled out the possibility of using De La Cruz if they advance to the quarterfinals or even further in the Club World Cup. The coaching staff believes that the player has the potential to make a difference, especially in the toughest games of the competition. The expectation now is that the Uruguayan will improve in the coming days and return to training with the group before the next match. There is, however, no exact date for his return.
Signed with high expectations for 2025, De La Cruz has not yet managed to maintain a regular sequence of games wearing the Flamengo shirt. Since the beginning of the season, the player has suffered from muscle injuries and knee problems, which have compromised his presence in decisive matches. In 2025 alone, the Uruguayan has missed more than 15 official games, a number that worries the coaching staff and the medical department. The club is working cautiously to prevent the situation from getting worse.
Mengão will face an important challenge against Colorado at Beira-Rio and wants a victory to remain isolated at the top of the Brazilian Championship.
16 Ago 2025 | 20:00 |
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Flamengo returns to the field this Sunday (17) to face Internacional , at Beira-Rio, for the 20th round of the Brazilian Championship. Rubro-Negro seeks to maintain the leadership of Serie A after beating Mirassol 2-1, at Maracanã, while Colorado tries to get going after the 3-1 victory over Red Bull Bragantino.
Flamengo sits atop the table with 40 points, while Internacional sits in 11th place with 24 points. Recent head-to-head records also favor the leaders: in the last five rounds, Filipe Luís's team has four wins and one draw , compared to three wins, one draw, and one loss for the Gauchos.
The match will be broadcast exclusively on Premiere , Grupo Globo's pay-per-view service, available with a monthly or annual subscription. The match, which marks the first leg of the Brasileirão 's second half, will be played at 6:30 p.m. (Brasília time) at Beira-Rio Stadium in Porto Alegre.
INTERNATIONAL: Rochet; Benítez, Vitão (Clayton Sampaio), Victor Gabriel (Juninho) and Bernabei; Richard, Alan Rodríguez (Bruno Henrique), Vitinho, Bruno Tabata and Gustavo Prado; Borré (Ricardo Mathias). Coach: Roger Machado
FLAMENGO: Rossi; Varela, Leo Ortiz (Danilo), Leo Pereira and Ayrton Lucas; Allan, Saul, Arrascaeta (Carrascal); Everton Cebolinha, Luiz Araujo and Pedro. Coach: Filipe Luis
Uruguayan gave a press conference at Ninho do Urubu and spoke about the problems of unprepared professionals at the club
16 Ago 2025 | 19:00 |
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Friday (15) was marked by a press conference with Arrascaeta, at Ninho do Urubu. The Uruguayan midfielder made strong statements about the club's backstage and even repeated a famous phrase from Jorge Jesus, the Portuguese coach who marked an era at Flamengo.
Arrascaeta quotes Jorge Jesus: "Flamengo only loses to itself"
Without directly mentioning the coach, Arrascaeta emphasized that internal problems often harm the club's atmosphere . The Uruguayan also made it clear that he will always stand by his teammates in situations where unprepared professionals could harm them:
"I often tell my friends that Flamengo only loses to itself, because it's difficult to explain some of the things that happen here. Sometimes it's due to a lack of capacity from people who don't realize the size of the club or who aren't used to dealing with this pressure . But when you have experienced and respected players like Alex Sandro, Bruno, Nico, Viña, and so many others, the group becomes stronger," said the number 10.
"Whatever happens outside won't affect our squad. We'll always be together. When something happens to a teammate, we'll be here to help," Arrascaeta assured. The statement alludes to the controversy surrounding former doctor José Luiz Runco, who was fired after exposing details of De La Cruz's physical condition , claiming the Uruguayan was living with an irreversible chronic injury.
At the time, Arrascaeta posted a photo alongside De La Cruz, accompanied by the message: " It's about taking care of our own. It's that simple ." The gesture was interpreted as a dig at the former professional, as well as a pat on the back for his club and national team friend.
Now, at the press conference, the number 10 reinforced the importance of squad unity in the face of external turbulence: "Regardless of who it is, Nico or another player, we have to be together. It's very difficult to stay focused on the field when these situations happen. But I've been here for six years and I know that Flamengo always experiences moments like this. Our role is to keep ourselves in the locker room so that this doesn't affect us, even though some situations are very difficult," he concluded.
Colorado and Mengão fans buy all the available tickets for the second leg of the round of 16 of the competition
16 Ago 2025 | 17:45 |
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Internacional fans promise to turn Beira-Rio into a real cauldron for the second leg of the round of 16 of the Libertadores . In just over two hours, all available tickets for the match against Flamengo, scheduled for Wednesday (20), were sold . The information was confirmed by the Rio Grande do Sul portal Revista Colorada.
The sale, initially exclusive to members of the Rio Grande do Sul club, highlighted the high expectations in Porto Alegre . The projected attendance is close to 50,000 Colorado fans for the decisive match. The red-and-black fans will also fill the area designated for visitors.
Before the Libertadores game, Flamengo and Internacional will face each other this Sunday (17), for the Brazilian Championship, also at Beira-Rio. The match will be a thermometer for what Filipe Luís' team will find days later , both on the field and in the pressure of the stands.
For Flamengo , facing packed stadiums is nothing new. The Rubro-Negro, accustomed to large crowds, played the first leg in front of nearly 70,000 people at Maracanã , winning 1-0 with a goal from Bruno Henrique after a superb cross from Luiz Araújo.
For this Sunday's match, Filipe Luís named all available players, with the exception of midfielder Erick Pulgar, who is still recovering. De La Cruz and Danilo are returning from knee and right thigh injuries , respectively. Meanwhile, Michael returns to the squad for the first time since May 18, in the 0-0 draw with Botafogo.
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