Commentator points out that De La Cruz's wife's statement increased Flamengo's performance

Bahia will have great difficulties when facing Flamengo this Sunday (5), in the 27th round of the Brazilian Championship. The team led by Rogério Ceni has 13 absences, a record number of the season , for the clash at Arena Fonte Nova, in Salvador, at 6:30 pm (Brasília time).

The Tricolor de Aço will have absences across all positions: goalkeeper, defense, full-backs, midfield, and attack. Nine players are injured and four are suspended, forcing the coach to resort to an alternative formation to face the league leaders.

Among the players missing are Luciano Juba, Rodrigo Nestor, Santiago Arias, and Sanabria , as well as players recovering from injuries like Kanu and Erick. The situation forces Ceni to assemble a new defense and even consider potential debutants.

COMPLETE LIST OF ABSENCES

• Goalkeeper: João Paulo (knee injury)
• Full-backs: Santiago Arias (suspended), Luciano Juba (suspended and muscle injury)
• Defenders: Gabriel Xavier (suspended), Ramos Mingo (thigh injury), David Duarte (physical transition), Kanu (return from surgery)
• Midfield: Rodrigo Nestor (suspended), Caio Alexandre (muscle injury), Erick (transition from surgery)
• Forwards: Sanabria (suspended), Erick Pulga (muscle injury), Ruan Pablo (injury)

PROBABLE LINEUP

With so many absences, Rogério Ceni should send an alternative team to the field against Flamengo : Ronaldo; Gilberto, Fredi, Rezende and Zé Guilherme; Acevedo, Jean Lucas and Everton Ribeiro; Kayky, Iago Borduchi (or Michel Araújo, Tiago or Cauly) and Willian José.

Flamengo should present important changes in the starting lineup for the match against Bahia this Sunday (5) , valid for the 27th round of the Brazilian Championship . After the goalless draw against Cruzeiro, at Maracanã, coach Filipe Luís should promote changes in the lineup.

According to information from the ge portal, the tendency is for Rubro-Negro to enter the field with Rossi; Varela, Danilo, Léo Ortiz and Ayrton Lucas; Saúl (or De La Cruz), Jorginho and Arrascaeta; Plata (or Carrascal), Samuel Lino (or Everton Cebolinha) and Pedro.

Regarding the match against Cruzeiro, Danilo, Ayrton Lucas, and Pedro are expected to be new starters . This means Léo Pereira and Alex Sandro, both suspended, and Carrascal will be out of the squad.

TRAINING AT THE CT

The red-black squad returned on Friday afternoon (3), at Ninho do Urubu, starting work for the match. The last training session with the entire group is scheduled for Saturday morning (4) , before the delegation embarks for Salvador.

MATCH BROADCAST

As usual, the official lineup will only be confirmed moments before kickoff, during the pre-match training session . The match will be played at Arena Fonte Nova at 6:30 PM (Brasília time), with exclusive coverage on Premiere.

One of Corinthians ' greatest idols, goalkeeper Cássio has a special chapter in Flamengo's recent history, even though he never wore the red-and-black jersey. In 2020, his performance in Corinthians' draw against Internacional was crucial in the Rio de Janeiro club's Brasileirão title victory.

In the final round of that championship, Flamengo and Internacional were neck and neck for the trophy. Flamengo lost to São Paulo at Morumbi Stadium and, to retain the trophy , depended on a slip-up from their Rio Grande do Sul rival. At Beira-Rio Stadium, Corinthians held on for a draw thanks to Cássio's saves, preventing the Colorado victory and confirming the title for Mengão.

The episode has remained etched in the memories of Flamengo fans. In a recent interaction, a Flamengo influencer reminded the goalkeeper of the feat. " You know you're a national idol, right?" he asked. In a relaxed tone, Cássio replied: "Yes, we won that title, didn't we? Two thousand and…?" The fan added: "2020 !"

GOALKEEPER STANDS OUT AGAIN

Last Thursday (2), in a duel valid for the Brazilian Championship, Cássio was once again highlighted against Flamengo, now defending Cruzeiro . The goalkeeper made important saves at Maracanã , guaranteeing a goalless draw and frustrating the red-black team's search for three more points.

FLAMENGO X BAHIA

With no time to lament the result, Flamengo is already concentrating its efforts on the next match of the competition. This Sunday (5), the team led by Filipe Luís faces Bahia, at 6:30 pm (Brasília time), at Arena Fonte Nova, in Salvador. The match will be valid for the 27th round and will be broadcast exclusively on the Premiere channel.