FABRÍCIO BRUNO RETURN TO THE TEAM AND DAVID LUIZ GAINS TITLE IN FLAMENGO’S DEFENSE

Gabigol, away from Flamengo while he decides the next steps of his career, has Cruzeiro as one of those interested in signing him. Due to those ironies that football produces, Rio de Janeiro and Minas Gerais face each other this Sunday (30), at 6:30 pm (Brasília time), at Maracanã, for the 13th round of the Brazilian Championship. The player's presence could add an extra ingredient to the already fierce confrontation.

Although they want to have the striker in their squad, now or at the end of the season, Raposa already surpasses Flamengo in one aspect: being the team of Series A that invested the most money in reinforcements during the year. This fact highlights Cruzeiro's ambition to strengthen its squad to compete at a high level in the national championship.

Much of this is due to the change in command of the SAF. If with Ronaldo spending was reduced to R$11.8 million on four players (Lucas Romero, Juan Dinenno, Lucas Villalba and Álvaro Barreal), the situation changed completely as soon as Pedro Lourenço took power. The new Cruzeirense management brought a philosophy of aggressive investment in the transfer market.

The new Cruzeirense manager promised to give the club a new face and went to the market with "hungry" to guarantee signings of impact. In this wave, names such as strikers Lautaro Díaz and Kaio Jorge, midfielders Fabrizio Pereira, Matheus Henrique and Walace, and defender Jonathan Jesus arrived. Not to mention goalkeeper Cássio, hired free of charge, further reinforcing the team.

In addition to these reinforcements, there is also the money invested to permanently sign defender João Marcelo and midfielder Matheus Pereira . Thus, Cruzeiro spent the equivalent of R$188 million on players, more than the R$162 million spent by Flamengo. This demonstrates the Minas Gerais team's determination to build a competitive squad.

The difference is that, if Raposa paid all this in 17 athletes, Rubro-Negro invested all this amount in four names: defender Léo Ortiz, left-back Matías Viña, midfielder De La Cruz and striker Carlinhos. This discrepancy in the number of players acquired reveals different market strategies between the two clubs.

It is also worth remembering that Cruzeiro had an agreement with Dudu, who in the end renounced the deal to continue at Palmeiras. Gabigol could further unbalance this ranking in favor of Cruzeiro, if the team from Minas Gerais insists on signing him and reaches an agreement with Flamengo. According to ESPN, the locals are even willing to release number 99, as long as they receive financial compensation that they deem consistent with the attacker's value.

Behind the scenes aside, the clubs duel on the field this Sunday in similar situations in the table. Flamengo, at home, seeks to forget the defeat against Juventude and regain the lead, which was theirs at the beginning of the round. Cruzeiro, with 20 points, wants to stay on top of the top four, making the game even more crucial for both sides.

Bolívar will have to deal with a major loss in the round of 16 of the Libertadores. Francisco da Costa, one of the team's main players, will not be available to face Flamengo. The striker arranged his transfer to Cerro Porteño, from Paraguay, and has already said goodbye to the Bolivian club. Francisco da Costa's departure took many fans by surprise, mainly due to the proximity of the decisive games against Flamengo.

FLAMENGO WILL HAVE GOOD NEWS

O Brazilian striker vineyard being a fundamental piece in Bolívar's tactical scheme and his absence will certainly be felt. He now joins Cerro Porteño, where he hopes to continue showing his good football. Bolívar's coach will have to rethink his strategy for the clashes against Flamengo.

Francisco da Costa was one of the team's main offensive weapons team, and his absence leaves a big question mark about how Bolívar will behave on the field. The team will have to quickly find a suitable replacement to maintain its chances of advancing in the competition. On the other hand, Francisco da Costa's absence can be seen as a relief for Flamengo. Rubro-Negro is preparing for a difficult duel, but the absence of a key opponent's player could make the task easier for Tite's men. However, the Rio team knows they cannot underestimate Bolívar, who still has other talented players and a good squad.

O Flamengo returns to the field this Wednesday night (26), at 8pm, in a match against Juventude. For the confrontation, Tite will have a reinforcement in defense: David Luiz. The defender had left the game against Fluminense due to knee pain and did not train on Monday (24) with the rest of the squad.

However, this Tuesday (25), David Luiz participated of activities with the group and is available to Tite for the match against Juventude. The player did work at the academy and then joined the squad on the field. The information is from the Coluna do Fla portal.

For the match against Juventude, Tite will be without three players due to injury. This is because Igor Jesus is dealing with a sprained ankle, Everton Cebolinha is dealing with a hip injury. Bruno Henrique suffered an injury to his foot and will not be able to be present in the match this Wednesday (26).

With the victory of Mais Querido on of Fluminense, the team consolidated its leadership of the Brasileirão, with 24 points. Close behind, in second place, are Palmeiras, with 23 and Bahia with 20. Thus, Rubro-Negro will try to win to increase their advantage over their rivals.