ARRASCAETA interrupts PEDRO'S CELEBRATION

Tite defined Flamengo and announced the 11 starters who will face Peñarol, this Thursday, at Maracanã, at 7pm. De la Cruz returns to the starting lineup in place of Léo Ortiz, and Alex Sandro and Plata were retained. The duel with the Uruguayans is the first between the teams in the quarter-finals of the Copa Conmebol Libertadores. Follow the Red and Black lineup:Rossi, Varela, Fabrício Bruno, Léo Pereira and Alex Sandro; Pulgar, De la Cruz, Gerson and Arrascaeta; Plata and Bruno Henrique.

Alex Sandro and Plata, debutants in last Sunday's classic, remain in the team after having good performances in the draw against Vasco. Gabigol is now out of the relationship due to fibrosis in the posterior muscle of his right thigh. Flamengo, in a statement, reported that the athlete did not suffer any injury in the region. Check it out:

"The Clube de Regatas do Flamengo informs that the athlete Gabriel Barbosa underwent tests that did not diagnose an injury to the posterior muscle of his right thigh. However, the Technical Committee opted for precaution and did not list him for the duel against Peñarol due to fibrosis in the region. Gabi is handed over to physiotherapists and physical trainers for the series of decisive games of the season."

Flamengo faces Peñarol (URU) in the first game of the CONMEBOL Libertadores quarter-finals and, here, you can watch the broadcast, live, with 2h30 of pre-game, interviews, the team's arrival at Maracanã and everything more.

Follow the match live here:

Nicolás de la Cruz is the newest member of Flamengo's squad. The Uruguayan player is already preparing to present himself to coach Tite on January 8th, together with his teammates, on the day he 'returns from vacation'. The Red-Negra Nation is in euphoria with the prospect of seeing the former River Plate (ARG) with the Sacred Mantle, but his arrival could disrupt the life of one of the fans' idols.

One of the One thing the Flameguista should note is that, even though the reality where Arrascaeta and De La Cruz are on the same team is incredible, it could result in some complications for the Fla idol. The two occupy the position of midfielders, which makes it difficult to design with both at the coach's disposal.

Since arriving at Mengão, Tite has applied a positional attack at Flamengo, just as he did for the Brazilian team between 2018 and 2022. The formation he chooses to use for this is 3-2-5. In this way, a full-back acts as a "third defender" when passing the ball, opening the field with two fast wingers and dribblers.

De La Cruz may even be good playing on both sides, but he is not known Due to his speed, unlike Everton Ribeiro and Luiz Araújo, he could not 'replace' them.

The other option would be to use Nicolás as a 'playmaker'. During his career, the coach has already used socks as a winger. One of the most successful examples is perhaps Jadson, at Corinthians, in 2015. In these cases, he would let the star work more freely, placing the 'runner' to act in the middle.

Another option would be to place it in the steering wheel position. Gerson and Pulgar already do this job, when Arrascaeta is also on the field, but even Thiago Maia has already had the opportunity to do the job, and could compete for the spot. In this formation, De La Cruz would be more of an articulator than a finisher. At times, the player would have the freedom to invade the area, but the priority would be to help the ball out, as the current duo of midfielders does.

This formation, however, is unlikely. Therefore, the person most at risk is Arrascaeta himself. The two share more characteristics, which would lead to a dispute for the attacking position within the squad. Tite would hardly be able to place the River player in any position other than that of the fans' idol.