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:

On the afternoon of this Monday (8), the Rubro Negro squad reappeared at CT Ninho do Urubu to begin preparations for the 2024 season. In the midst of this, Mais Querido decided that whoever will inherit the number 7 shirt will be Luiz Araújo. The attacker took the opportunity to announce that he will be the new "guardian" of the Sacred Mantle. Through his social networks, the player highlighted his excitement for the opportunity.

“The legendary number 7 shirt, of so many stars, of this club so rich in historical heritage. I want to continue working in silence and building my legacy within this great team. After all, once Flamengo, always Flamengo. God is faithful!”, wrote the striker.

The person responsible for representing Flamengo with shirt 7 was Everton Ribeiro, a midfielder who played for Rubro Negro in 2017 to 2023 and was one of the squad's captains in all the achievements since 2019. Now, with the player's departure to Bahia, Luiz Araújo will try to write his own history and conquer the Rubro Negra Nation.

Highlighting that the expectation was that De La Cruz would inherit shirt number 7. Initially, the Uruguayan midfielder even indicated that he would like to wear number 7, if it were vacant upon arrival at Mais Querido. However, now the tendency is for him to take on the number 18.

In the final rounds of the Brazilian Championship, Luiz Araújo fought for the title at Mais Querido, even leaving Bruno Henrique on the bench. Now, he will look for even more minutes and protagonism in 2024. The striker is preparing with the squad for his debut in the season.