IN A JOKE, GERSON PLAYS RESPONSIBILITY ON LORRAN IN A SPEECH IN THE FLAMENGO LOCKER ROOM

Flamengo remains firm in its pursuit of another Conmebol Libertadores trophy. This Thursday (18), Rubro-Negro hosts Estudiantes (ARG) at Maracanã, for the first leg of the quarterfinals. The match will not be shown on open TV: the broadcast will be exclusive to ESPN, on the closed channel, and Disney+ , via streaming.

REINFORCEMENTS AVAILABLE

Coach Filipe Luís will have good news for the match. Bruno Henrique trained normally and is cleared to play, while Varela, physically recovered, is once again an option for right back . The duel between Flamengo x Estudiantes starts at 9:30 pm (Brasília time) this Thursday (18), at Maracanã.

EMBARRASSMENTS

Alex Sandro (calf) and Jorginho (thigh) are still recovering and are already working on the field, but individually . The same goes for Pulgar, who is transitioning with physical therapy and is expected to begin training with the group only at the end of September.

PROBABLE FLAMENGO

After training last Wednesday (17), the tendency is for coach Filipe Luís to send onto the field a Flamengo with: Rossi; Varela, Léo Ortiz, Léo Pereira and Ayrton Lucas; De La Cruz (Allan), Saúl and Arrascaeta; Plata, Samuel Lino and Pedro.

PACKED MARACANÃ

The Red-Black Nation promises another great party. All tickets were sold in advance, guaranteeing the presence of over 69,000 fans. This should be Flamengo's largest crowd in this edition of the Libertadores . The expectation is to repeat the solid performance of the round of 16, when the team eliminated Internacional with two wins and qualified 3-0 on aggregate.

The Brazilian Championship is already past the halfway point, and the title race is starting to take on decisive proportions . Cruzeiro forward Kaio Jorge believes Flamengo and Palmeiras have a slight advantage due to their greater chemistry, but Palmeiras remains firmly in the running.

Kaio Jorge, from Cruzeiro: "It's very difficult to play against Flamengo"

"I have a lot of confidence in my team. It's very difficult to play against Flamengo and Palmeiras. Of course, we have the mindset of being champions. They have a more cohesive team, but we also have a very strong team , and I have complete confidence that we can fight for the title," said the striker in an interview with TNT Sports.

INDIVIDUAL DISPUTE: KAIO JORGE X ARRASCAETA

Besides the title race, Kaio Jorge also competes with Arrascaeta for the top scorer and the tournament's best player title. The Cruzeiro player has 15 goals, compared to the Uruguayan's 13, who, in turn, stands out for his number of direct goal involvements : in addition to his goals, he has also provided 10 assists.

SITUATION IN THE TABLE

Flamengo leads the Brasileirão with 50 points and a game in hand . Cruzeiro is close behind with 47, while Palmeiras is in third place with 46 and two games remaining. Mirassol rounds out the top four of the competition with 39 points and a game remaining.

FLAMENGO'S NEXT COMMITMENTS

Before returning to the field for the Brasileirão, Rubro-Negro faces Estudiantes (ARG) this Thursday (18), at 9:30 pm (Brasília time), at Maracanã, for the first leg of the quarterfinals of the Conmebol Libertadores . Then, for the 24th round of the Brazilian Championship, Flamengo plays the classic against Vasco, on Sunday (21), also at Maracanã.

Flamengo hosts Estudiantes this Thursday (18), at Maracanã, for the first leg of the Conmebol Libertadores quarterfinals . Despite some absences, coach Filipe Luís will have important reinforcements: Varela and Bruno Henrique are available again.

PROBABLE LINEUP

After training last Wednesday (17), the tendency is for coach Filipe Luís to send onto the field a Flamengo with: Rossi; Varela, Léo Ortiz, Léo Pereira and Ayrton Lucas; De La Cruz (Allan), Saúl and Arrascaeta; Plata, Samuel Lino and Pedro.

CAST SITUATION

During training on Wednesday (17), the coaching staff finalized the list of players involved. Alex Sandro (calf) and Jorginho (thigh) are still recovering and are already working on the field, but individually. The same goes for Pulgar, who is in transition with physiotherapy and should only start training with the group at the end of September.

In defense, Léo Ortiz and Léo Pereira remain the starting duo . Having recovered from a groin injury, Varela is expected to return to right-back, while Ayrton Lucas has the advantage over Viña on the left. In midfield, Filipe Luís is expected to keep the trio that played against Grêmio: De La Cruz, Saúl, and Arrascaeta, although Allan will also compete for space.

Up front, there are more options. Plata, Samuel Lino, and Pedro are the favorites, but Bruno Henrique could take the center-forward spot, as he did against Internacional. Another possibility is for Luiz Araújo to start on the right, with Samuel Lino on the left and Plata in the center . Filipe Luís, however, remains a mystery and will only confirm his lineup hours before kick-off, at 9:30 pm (Brasília time) at the Maracanã stadium. The return leg is scheduled for next week in La Plata, Argentina.