DORIVAL TALKS ABOUT THE POSSIBILITY OF CALLING UP A FLAMENGO PLAYER: "IT CAN CONTRIBUTE A LOT!"

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:

The Brazilian team takes the field this Tuesday (10), at 9:30 pm (Brasília time), to face Paraguay, at the Defensores del Chaco stadium, in a game valid for the 8th round of the Qualifiers. For the duel, coach Dorival Júnior will promote the entry of Endrick in place of Luiz Henrique. As a result, Rodrygo, who started the match against Ecuador centrally, will be moved to the right side.

In a press conference this Monday, the national team coach commented on the changes in the offensive sector and recalled that Pedro would be a perfect piece for the Brazilian attack.

“A reference man with mobility for me is ideal. Pedro has that and a lot of it. We've been thinking about Pedro's name since the first call-up and he knows it. He is a player who is perfect for the moment. I was very sorry for the injury he had. We lost a very important option, but the main thing is Pedro's feeling of being human. After that, it would be very important for the moment we are living in and would complete what we are designing”, said Dorival, before going deeper into Rodrygo.

“From Rodrygo, the last thing I want is for him to be reference, because it does not have this characteristic. The mobility he has at Real, the intelligence, the infiltration, is everything I want him to do in the Seleção and be able to execute movements without the need to fulfill a type of role. So he can use the best he has, as he had been playing with Vini and Bellingham up front, helping to rebuild his team. They have freedom in the middle forward, that's what we proposed when we placed the two closer. With Endrick, he opens up a little more to be positional with freedom of movement.”

Team captain, the right-back Danilo spoke to his teammates in the dressing room before the victory over Ecuador. The Juventus player recalled Pedro's injury and the time the striker will be absent.

“We just need each one of us to believe in what we have to do. Need some extra motivation? Pedro was here the day before yesterday, he was going to be a starter, (he's going to be) out for seven or eight months. What's our problem? From today onwards, every game is an objective, respecting those who made history with this shirt, respecting those who work from sunrise to sunset and, even so, at 10 pm they will watch the national team play", encouraged the captain.