Like this! Capacity will be partial in the return game between Flamengo x Palmeiras

São Paulo will have an important reinforcement off the field in the duel against Flamengo, next Saturday (12), for the Brazilian Championship. Hernán Crespo, announced as the team's new coach, had his name published in the CBF's Daily Information Bulletin (BID) this Monday (07) and is free to command the team at Maracanã. The match, valid for the 13th round, is scheduled for 4:30 pm (Brasília time).

The Argentine takes over after the dismissal of Luis Zubeldía, who was dismissed due to his inconsistent performance in the Brasileirão. Even though the team is still in the Libertadores and the Copa do Brasil, the tricolor board understood that the campaign in the national tournament — with only 12 points in 12 games — was insufficient . São Paulo currently occupies 14th place, with two wins, six draws and four losses.

CRESPO MEETS FLAMENGO AGAIN

This will actually be a comeback for Crespo. He already managed São Paulo in 2021, a year in which he faced Flamengo only once — and was defeated with authority . On July 25, Rubro-Negro won 5-1 at Maracanã, with a stellar performance by Bruno Henrique, who scored three goals. Gustavo Henrique and Welington (own goal) also scored, while Arboleda opened the scoring for the visitors.

FLAMENGO LEADS THE CHAMPIONSHIP

The leader of the Brazilian Championship, Flamengo, has 24 points in 11 matches — double the score of São Paulo. Tite's team has won seven games, drawn three and lost only one: to Cruzeiro, away from home, with a penalty goal in second-half injury time. This Saturday's match will be the team's first match after the Club World Cup. The match will be broadcast on Globo (free-to-air TV) and Premiere (pay-per-view).

Flamengo returns to the field next Saturday (12), in a match against São Paulo, for the Brasileirão. Soon after, the Rubro-Negro will face Santos, at Vila Belmiro, also for the points-based tournament. Thus, the new reinforcement of the São Paulo team, right-back Igor Vinícius, has made himself available to debut against Mais Querido, on the 16th.

Igor Vinícius makes himself available to Santos for the game against Flamengo: "I've been able to train every day since I arrived".

He continued: "I'm still getting to know the team, the players' characteristics and understanding the way Cléber likes to play. I believe I came here to gain space, I'm available and always respecting my teammates, JP Chermont, Aderlan, as well as Escobar himself who is playing there. I'm at the coach's disposal and I believe I'm capable of playing, yes, against Flamengo ," said the full-back.

SANTOS X FLAMENGO

Thus, Santos and Flamengo will only face each other on July 16, when Mais Querido visits the São Paulo team at Vila Belmiro, for the match valid for the 14th round of the Brazilian Championship, at 8 pm.

BEFORE THAT...

Before thinking about Santos, Flamengo is preparing to face São Paulo. The Mais Querido will face the São Paulo team on the 12th, at Maracanã, in a match that marks the return of the Brazilian Championship after the Club World Cup. The game will be at 4:30 pm, at Maracanã.

Rogério Ceni renewed his contract with Bahia at the end of last month . Thus, the question that remains is whether the coach will continue to lose to Flamengo, since out of sixteen games, he has accumulated 16 defeats. In an interview, the former commander of Mais Querido spoke out about the 'freguesia' in the clashes with Mengo.

Rogério Ceni talks about being a regular for Flamengo: "Flamengo loses very few games, if you analyze it."

He continued: "Unfortunately, I became a coach at a time when Flamengo had its best team since the 1980s, when it had Zico, Adílio, Andrade, Tita, Nunes... Filipe Luís played 50 games and had only three or four defeats. In other words, the percentage of the last 50 games, maybe 8% of the teams managed to win against Flamengo. So it's difficult for everyone," said Rogério Ceni , in an interview with GE before adding:

ROGERIO CENI TALKS ABOUT THE POSSIBILITY OF BEATING FLAMENGO

Soon after, Rogério Ceni highlighted that his team needs to strengthen itself in order to beat Flamengo . He also highlights that mental play is also needed to overcome the Mais Querido in competitions.

"I think we need to grow as a team, and we've already had the opportunity to win, we were very close to winning, we played games against Flamengo throughout last year and were superior. We played a game here at Fonte Nova where Flamengo had a shot on goal and won 1-0 against us. And we had great chances to score," added Ceni.

"The game is very mental, you have to try to have the mental strength so that when you have the opportunity, you score. Unfortunately, that didn't happen against Flamengo. It's annoying, it's annoying, of course it's annoying. And we hope that, despite Flamengo having a great team again this year, having invested a lot in signings, that we can have the opportunity to win this year," concluded the former goalkeeper.

TEAMS THAT ROGERIO CENI LOST TO FLAMENGO

Rogério Ceni has a 100% loss record against Flamengo between 2017 and 2025. The coach faced the team defending São Paulo, Fortaleza, Cruzeiro and Bahia. Thus, the coach has already suffered setbacks against the Rubro-Negro in the Copa do Brasil and the Campeonato Brasileiro.