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This Saturday (13), Vitinho returned to Maracanã, now wearing the Corinthians shirt , to face Fluminense in the Brazilian Championship . In addition to the striker, other athletes who played for Flamengo, such as Matheuzinho and Hugo Souza, were also at the Rio stadium during the São Paulo team's victory. The player highlighted the feeling of playing again on the stage where he accumulated significant achievements.

In a post-match interview, Vitinho stated that returning to Maracanã is always special. The striker called the stadium his "home" and recalled that he had emerged victorious most of the times he played on the historic pitch .

" Coming back to Maracanã is always good, always good to be home. I've spent so much time here, played so many games. I've been very happy most of the time. So it's always good to be at Maracanã, and coming away victorious is even better ," said the player.

FIRST CHANCE

The return to the stadium also marked an important moment in Vitinho's career at Corinthians . For the first time since joining the São Paulo club, the striker started , playing for 45 minutes and receiving a 6.7 rating from the specialized website Sofascore. He joined the team for free after finishing his contract with Al-Ettifaq, signing a contract until December 2026.

EXPRESSIVE NUMBERS

At Flamengo , Vitinho played 214 matches, scored 29 goals and distributed 33 assists. His best year was 2021, when he found the net 14 times and gave 15 decisive passes in 63 games . During his time at the Rio de Janeiro club, he won 3 Campeonato Carioca (2019, 2020 and 2021), 2 Brasileirões (2019 and 2020), 2 Libertadores (2019 and 2022), 2 Supercopas (2020 and 2021) and 1 Recopa (2020).

The clash between Juventude and Flamengo takes place this Sunday (14), at 4 pm (Brasília time), at the Alfredo Jaconi Stadium , in Caxias do Sul (RS). The live broadcast will be carried out by the Amazon Prime streaming service, with narration by Galvão Bueno.

Coach Filipe Luís should send Rossi onto the field; Emerson Royal, Danilo, Léo Pereira and Ayrton Lucas; De La Cruz, Saúl and Arrascaeta; Luiz Araújo, Samuel Lino (Cebolinha) and Pedro.

TEAM CLASSIFICATION

Flamengo leads the Brazilian Championship with 47 points. Juventude, meanwhile, sits in the relegation zone with 21 points and is looking to rally at home to try and climb out of the bottom of the table.

Midfielder Jorginho continues to recover from pain in the hamstring of his left thigh and will not be used, even after returning to training. Varela continues to treat pubalgia and was also left out of the squad. Alex Sandro, despite progress in his treatment of a left calf injury, was not included in the squad. Furthermore, Bruno Henrique was also experiencing pain and was also left out of the match.

PLAYER RETURNS

Arrascaeta, Viña, Carrascal, and Samuel Lino, who were with their national teams during the FIFA World Cup , trained normally and are confirmed for the match. Gonzalo Plata, although he traveled with the group, is expected to start on the bench, having only completed gym activities after being released by the club on Thursday.

The duel between Flamengo and Juventude takes place this Sunday (14), at 4 pm (Brasília time), at Alfredo Jaconi Stadium , in Caxias do Sul. The match is valid for the 23rd round of the Brazilian Championship Series A.

Filipe Luís is expected to make changes to the starting lineup. The likely starting eleven includes: Rossi; Emerson Royal, Danilo, Léo Pereira, and Ayrton Lucas; De La Cruz, Saúl, and Arrascaeta; Luiz Araújo, Samuel Lino (Cebolinha), and Pedro.

Some players did not travel to Caxias do Sul. Midfielder Jorginho continues to recover from pain in the hamstring of his left thigh , and Varela is treating pubalgia after returning from the Uruguayan national team. Alex Sandro, despite making progress in recovering from a left calf injury, was also not included in the squad.

BRUNO HENRIQUE OUT

Despite having obtained a suspension effect in the STJD, Bruno Henrique presented pain after training on Saturday (13) and will undergo load control in order to be in better conditions for the duel on Thursday (18), against Estudiantes. In defense, Danilo replaces Léo Ortiz, who is serving a suspension due to a third yellow card.

GAME CLASSIFICATION AND CONTEXT

Flamengo leads the Brazilian Championship with 47 points , while Juventude sits in the relegation zone with 21 points. The match represents another opportunity for the Rio de Janeiro team to extend its lead at the top of the table before returning to action in the Copa Libertadores.