Update: De La Cruz could be back by the weekend

In the relationship between Gabigol and coach Tite at Flamengo, only the field is capable of speaking. Between the striker and coach, there is practically no dialogue, and the cold and silent war dictates that only one of them should remain at the club for the season in 2025.

No atmosphere with the coaching staff and also with the squad , Gabriel Barbosa has been convinced to change and airs, but even the clubs that expressed interest in the first half of the year backed away. With a contract at Flamengo until the end of December, Gabigol had offers from Palmeiras, Corinthians and Santos, was mentioned at Grêmio, but did not want to sign a pre-contract with any team.

The expectation was to try to turn things around on top in the second half, otherwise he would end his time at Flamengo like the idol he became, without any fuss.

Tite's arrival last year changed the entire perspective of the striker, who was already in a bad phase previously, and lost his place once and for all to Pedro with the presence of the new coach. With the center forward's recent injury, Tite kept Gabigol at the end of the line, under the argument that Carlinhos and Bruno Henrique perform better in the scheme with a reference man .

Without understanding the criteria, Gabi maintains her dedication to the basic level of professionalism in training, as it is not part of the coach's or the club's plans for a possible renewal. With the chances of a comeback practically buried, the two possible paths are to wait for the election in Flamengo to find out if Tite will remain with the next president; or wait for the end of the contract to freely listen to proposals again. Palmeiras and Santos have not yet given up on the idea, and Bahia appears as an option, as it has good investment capacity.

Retired from the field since 2017, former midfielder Zé Roberto, who had a spell at Flamengoin the 90s, it is looking to buy 90% of SAF from São Bento, a club in São Paulo. According to GE, a meeting scheduled for this Wednesday night (18) could decree the sale of the Sorocaba team to the company Flash Forward, which belongs to the former player.

Zé Roberto is the main name of the company. However, the group also has partners such as former athlete Fransérgio and businessman Tiago Ribeiro (former CEO of Estoril). In addition to Flamengo, Zé played in Brazilian football with the shirts of Palmeiras, Santos and Grêmio. In Europe, the former athlete defended giants such as Real Madrid and Bayern Munich.

The offer is R$130 million, which would be paid in installments. This amount would be invested on a specific basis in the football team and the club’s structure. The project is to take São Bento to the elite of São Paulo football and Brazilian Series B in up to six seasons.

Revelation from Portuguesa-SP, Zé Roberto stood out at Lusa and caught the attention of Real Madrid in 1997. However, the player had difficulty fitting into the Spanish club and was loaned to Flamengo in 1998.

At Flamengo, Zé Roberto was a starter in the Campeonato Carioca competition, entered the field 23 times and aroused the interest of Bayer Leverkusen , leaving Gávea in the same season. As an athlete, the former midfielder also played in the 2006 World Cup for the Brazilian team.

This Monday (16), Flamengo officially informed Luiz Araújo's injury, which occurred in the classic against Vasco last Sunday (15). The striker was injured and, after examinations, the club's medical department confirmed the severity of the injury. With this, the player is out of the important clash against Peñarol in the quarter-finals of the Copa Libertadores.

Mengão returns to the field this Thursday (19), at 7pm, at Maracanã, to face Peñarol in the first game of the Libertadores quarter-finals. The Brazilian team is looking for a good result at home to take advantage in the second leg, which will be played at the Campeón del Siglo Stadium, in Montevideo, on September 26th.

For the match against Peñarol, the coach will count on the return of De la Cruz, recovered from injury, and the return of Ayrton Lucas to the left side. Furthermore, Gonzalo Plata will be Luiz Araújo's replacement in the attack, seeking to strengthen the red and black offensive.

Mais Querido's probable lineup for the decisive clash should include: Rossi; Varela, Fabrício Bruno, Léo Pereira and Ayrton Lucas; Erick Pulgar, De La Cruz and Gerson; Arrascaeta, Bruno Henrique and Gonzalo Plata. The team is going through adjustments, but the intention is to guarantee a positive result at home to reach the return game in Uruguay more calmly.

Despite the fans' expectations, the recent history between Flamengo and Peñarol does not favor Rubro-Negro. The teams have already faced each other six times, with four victories for the Uruguayans, one draw and only one victory for Mengão. The last meeting was in the 2019 Libertadores group stage, when Flamengo lost 1-0 at Maracanã and drew goalless in Montevideo.