Now at Santos, Arão recalls fight with Filipe Luís at Flamengo

This Sunday (21), at 5:30 pm (Brasília time), Maracanã will be the stage for another Clássico dos Milhões , valid for the 24th round of the Brasileirão. The game puts different objectives on the field: Flamengo, leader with 50 points , seeks to maintain or extend the advantage at the top of the table, while Vasco, 15th place with 23 points, tries to move away from the relegation zone.

WHERE TO WATCH THE CLASSIC?

On TV Globo, Luis Roberto will be the commentator, with commentary by Roger Flores and Flamengo idol Maestro Júnior . On broadcast TV, the broadcast will be broadcast throughout Brazil, except Rio Grande do Sul, São Paulo, and Pernambuco. On Premiere (PPV), Luiz Carlos Jr. will host the game, with commentary by Lédio Carmona and Grafite. Pre-game coverage begins at 4:30 p.m.

Meanwhile, GE TV (YouTube) will have more extensive coverage, starting at 4 p.m. Presented by Fred Bruno and Lara Gruppi, with commentary by André Balada and Bruno Formiga, narration by Jorge Iggor, and participation by Luana Maluf during the ball rolling.

ARBITRATION DEFINED

• Referee: Rafael Rodrigo Klein (RS)
• Assistants: Rafael da Silva Alves (RS) and Maira Mastella Moreira (RS)
• VAR: Caio Max Augusto Vieira (GO)

HOW FLAMENGO ARRIVES

Rubro-Negro leads the Brasileirão with 50 points and is aiming to maintain at least a three-point lead over Cruzeiro and Palmeiras . If their rivals stumble, their lead could reach six points.

HOW VASCO ARRIVES

Cruzmaltino sits in 15th place with 23 points and needs to score to avoid falling back into the bottom four . A loss at Maracanã could put their rival back in the relegation zone, as they're just one point away from returning to the bottom four, further increasing the pressure on the team.

Conmebol announced, on Friday night (19), the refereeing scale for the duel between Flamengo and Estudiantes (ARG), valid for the return of the quarterfinals of the Libertadores . The person responsible for the whistle will be the Chilean Piero Maza, who will command the match in La Plata.

The referee is familiar to Argentines: in the round of 16, he officiated the first leg between Estudiantes and Cerro Porteño (PAR), in which he awarded a controversial penalty in stoppage time. In the 47th minute of the second half, Maza signaled a foul on Guido Castillo , which Santiago Ascacíbar converted, securing a 1-0 away victory. In the return leg, in Argentina, the score ended 0-0, eliminating the Paraguayans.

Cerro coach on Estudiantes vs Flamengo referee: "I didn't think several of his decisions were correct"

CERRO PORTEÑO COMPLAINED ABOUT THE REFEREEING

After the match, coach Diego Martínez criticized Maza's performance: " I didn't like the refereeing, but I understand that he's human and can make mistakes, just like me, when making decisions . I didn't think several of his decisions were correct. He has a team that supports him, and I disagreed with those decisions," the coach stated.

The Paraguayan press also covered the incident. The Altos Noticias website called it the "biggest robbery in the history of the Libertadores ," highlighting that it was a "made-up penalty, not even the Estudiantes players complained."

PIERO MAZA'S RETROSPECT WITH FLAMENGO

The referee has already refereed three Flamengo games in history:

• 2019 – 6-1 victory over San José (BOL), at Maracanã (Libertadores).
• 2022 – 2-1 victory against Vélez Sarsfield (ARG), also at Maracanã, in the Libertadores semi-final.
• 2023 – defeat to Independiente del Valle (EQU) by 1-0, in Quito, in the Recopa final.

WHEN DOES THE GAME TAKE PLACE?

The decisive Libertadores quarterfinal clash between Estudiantes and Flamengo takes place on Thursday (25), in La Plata, starting at 9:30 pm (Brasília time). The match will be broadcast on ESPN (pay TV) and Disney+ (streaming) .

Flamengo enters the final stretch of preparation for one of the most important games of the season so far. On Sunday (21), Rubro-Negro faces Vasco, at Maracanã, for the 24th round of the Brasileirão. The definition of the starting lineup will be in the hands of coach Filipe Luís, this Saturday (20) . According to the official schedule, the squad trains at 9:30 am (Brasília time), at CT Ninho do Urubu. Immediately after the activity, Filipe should confirm the lineup for the Rio derby.

FLAMENGO'S PROBABLE LINEUP

With the absences and taking into account Thursday's game against Estudiantes, the tendency is for Flamengo to enter the field with : Rossi; Varela, Léo Ortiz, Léo Pereira and Ayrton Lucas; Allan, De La Cruz (or Saúl) and Arrascaeta; Plata, Samuel Lino and Pedro.

Even with the decisive duel next Thursday (25), against Estudiantes (ARG) for the Libertadores, the tendency is for Flamengo to enter the field with full strength. The only confirmed absence is Erick Pulgar, still recovering from a fracture in his left foot.

QUESTIONS FOR THE CLASSIC

The coaching staff is also monitoring the situation of Alex Sandro and Jorginho, who missed the 2-1 victory over Estudiantes in midweek. The full-back is treating a muscle injury in his left calf. The midfielder is experiencing pain in the back of his right thigh. Both participated in training on the field this Friday (19) and could be included in the squad.

SITUATION OF THE TEAMS IN THE BRAZILIAN CHAMPIONSHIP

Flamengo leads the standings with 50 points, having won 15, drawn 5, and lost only 2 times , three points ahead of second-place Cruzeiro. Vasco da Gama is battling relegation, sitting in 15th place with 23 points.

WHEN AND WHERE DOES THE CLASSIC TAKE PLACE?

The Clássico dos Milhões will be played this Sunday (21), at 5:30 pm (Brasília time), at Maracanã , for the 24th round of the Brazilian Championship. The match will be broadcast by Rede Globo (open TV) and Premiere (pay-per-view).