GUNNER! PEDRO DO FLAMENGO IS THE LEADER IN THE RANKING OF FORWARDERS WITH MORE PARTICIPATIONS IN GOALS IN BRAZIL

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:

After the break due to the FIFA Date, Flamengo returns to the pitch this Thursday (12) to face Bahia, in a match valid for the second leg of the quarter-finals of the Copa do Brasil. For the duel, Rubro-Negro will have Gabigol, who is recovered from injury and available for the match. With Pedro out of the season, the expectation is that the number 99 will take on the role of main reference in the team's attack.

Gabigol has impressive numbers in the Copa do Brasil, a tournament in which Flamengo is four-time champion. In 57 matches played in the competition, Gabriel Barbosa has already found the net 30 times. The striker was champion in 2022 and top scorer of the tournament on three occasions (2014, 2015 and 2018), all when he was still playing for Santos.

Among active players, Gabi is the highest scorer in the history of the World Cup from Brazil. In the general ranking, he occupies third place among the competition's top scorers. Check out the top 10:

1. Fred: 37 goals (56 games)

2. Romário: 36 goals (46 games)

3. Gabigol: 30 goals (57 games)

4. Viola: 29 goals (44 games)

5. Oséas: 28 goals (53 games)

6. Paulo Nunes: 28 goals (58 games)

7. Dodô: 26 goals (55 games)

8. Léo Gamalho: 25 goals (39 games)

9. Luís Fabiano: 25 goals (37 games)

10. Evair: 24 goals (36 games)

In addition to his prominence in the Copa do Brasil, Gabigol shines even brighter in the Copa Libertadores. He is the greatest Brazilian goalscorer in the history of the continental competition. In 58 matches, the striker scored 31 goals, including all of Flamengo's goals in the last three tournament finals. Gabi was responsible for the two goals of the historic turnaround in 2019, he scored in the defeat to Palmeiras in 2021 and scored the decisive goal in 2022, which gave Rubro-Negro their third title against Athletico-PR.

Since 2019, Gabigol is also the player who scored the most goals in the Brasileirão, with 69 goals. His Flamengo teammate, Pedro, occupies second place, with 60 goals in the same period.

With Gabigol's return, will he continue to write another chapter in his success story for Flamengo? The answer will begin to be given this Thursday, at 9:45 pm, at Maracanã.