WITH AN EYE ON THE RIVAL, FLAMENGO CAN COUNT ON REINFORCEMENT AGAINST SANTOS

This Sunday night (22), at 6:30 pm (Brasília time), Flamengo will face Grêmio, in Porto Alegre, in the 27th round of the Brasileirão. A victory is crucial for Rubro-Negro, who currently has 45 points, to get closer to Fortaleza, third placed, with 49 points. Meet five Grêmio players, led by Renato Gaúcho, who deserve special attention in the clash.

Cristaldo: the midfielder, the team's starter, is Grêmio's top scorer in the Brasileirão with four goals.

< Braithwaite: ex-Barcelona, ​​the Danish center forward arrived at Grêmio in the last transfer window and has already scored three goals in Serie A. Pay attention to his performance, Flamengo.

Soteldo: the Venezuelan point guard is the leader of Grêmio's assists in the championship, with two passes for a goal, the same mark as Cristaldo.

Pavón: the Argentine striker also has two assists in the competition, equaling Cristaldo and Soteldo in terms of decisive passes.< /p>

Marchesín: goalkeeper Agustín Marchesín is going through a good phase and is the team's absolute starter. He has the third best average of Grêmio players in the Brasileirão, with 7.22 on the SofaScore app.

Probable lineups:

Grêmio: Marchesín; João Pedro, Gustavo Martins, Kannemann and Reinaldo; Villasanti, Dodi, Monsalve, Cristaldo and Soteldo; Braithwaite.

Flamengo: Matheus Cunha; Wesley, David Luiz, Cleiton and Ayrton Lucas; Everton Araújo, Allan, Alcaraz and Lorran; Gabigol and Carlinhos.

Last clash: Flamengo won with a highlight from Luiz Araújo

Grêmio will seek a rematch against Flamengo at their Arena this weekend. In the first round, at Maracanã, Rubro-Negro won 2-1, with two goals from Luiz Araújo. In stoppage time, Edenílson reduced the score for the Gauchos. Due to the clash against Peñarol in the Libertadores on Thursday, Tite will spare part of the red and black squad this Sunday.

The Flamengo was defeated by Peñarol last Thursday (19), 1-0. However, the Uruguayans' goal generated controversy, as Erick Pulgar kicked the ball into his own hand when trying to clear it. Thus, Conmebol released the audio of the VAR analysis.

Five minutes into the second half, at a Peñarol intersection in the Mais Querido, a player from the Uruguayan team deflects the ball to the middle of the small area and Pulgar, when trying to move away with his back, kicks it into his own arm. The move generated a lot of complaints from the opponent's players, but the referee did not check it with the VAR.

So, this past Friday (20), Conmebol released the analysis of the move, and the official audio from the VAR booth, in communication with the field referee, Jésus Valenzuela, at the time of the play.

VAR AUDIO

“In the 50th minute, a defender in red and black ends up unintentionally throwing the ball into his arm, which was there as a result of his movement, justifiable by the action he performs. This does not constitute a hand infraction, as the player throws the ball against his own arm in an indeliberate manner”, explained the analysis of the play.

“The referee observed the action, and see that the game continues . The VAR carried out its protocol review, analyzing it with the appropriate angles, speeds and correct considerations regarding the action. And it confirms the original decision on the field”, he added.

Already in the VAR booth, the decision was taken quickly and the analysis of the move was carried out quickly.

“Check completes, takes the hand, but it comes from his own foot, from the inside out”, pointed out VAR number one, Juan Soto.

Rafinha Alcântara, currently without a club since ending his contract with Al-Arabi, from Qatar, in July, made it clear that he has a great connection with Flamengo, even though he has never played in Brazilian football. In an interview with the program Que Partidazo, in 2019, the midfielder, who built his career internationally, revealed that he was a long-time fan of Mais Querido.

During the interview, the 31-year-old player, son of four-time champion Mazinho, recalled his career in European football, where he played for big clubs, such as Barcelona and Paris Saint-Germain. But what caught the attention of Mengão fans was his confession that he dreams of one day wearing the CRF shirt.

“I do think about playing for Flamengo. Everyone knows that I'm a big fan and supporter of the club. I followed and was very happy with the Brasileirão and Libertadores titles. It’s a dream to wear the Flamengo shirt”, said Rafinha Alcântara, generating euphoria among the red and black fans.

NEGOTIATIONS WITH FLAMENGO

After his public statement, Flamengo's board of directors even investigated the situation of the player, who at the time was still linked to European football and had no intention of returning to Brazil. Now, without a club and free on the market, Rafinha can arrive at the Rio club without transfer costs, but Mengão's directors do not seem to have the athlete as a priority at the moment.

Still, there is speculation that Rafinha Alcântara could be made official at Gávea for the 2025 season, depending on changes in the squad and technical committee, which is currently led by Tite.

TRAJECTORY OF RAFINHA IN EUROPEAN FOOTBALL

Rafinha Alcântara began his career in Barcelona's youth teams, where he played until being promoted to the professional squad. Over the years, he has spent time at clubs such as Celta de Vigo, Inter Milan, Real Sociedad, as well as Paris Saint-Germain, where he played alongside Neymar. His last club was Al-Arabi, in Qatar, where he played 40 matches, scored nine goals and provided 10 assists.