Flamengo begins preparation for the 2025 season, Léo Pereira talks about the squad "We are fine..."

This Monday (25), Flamengo and Vitória face each other in the 21st round of the Brazilian Championship , at 9 pm (Brasília time), at Maracanã. The match will be broadcast by SporTV and Premiere. The narration will be by Renata Silveira, with comments by Eric Faria and Ricardinho . The field reports will be by Bruno Halpern and Gabrielle Gomes.

PUBLIC EXPECTATIONS

More than 50,000 tickets have already been sold , reinforcing the expectation of another packed house. The support of the Red-Black Nation promises to be crucial in the quest for three more points in the Brasileirão. The north section is already sold out, but fans can still purchase tickets at this link .

ARBITRATION

• Referee: Felipe Fernandes de Lima (MG)
• Assistants: Felipe Alan Costa de Oliveira (MG) and Leonardo Henrique Pereira (MG)
• 4th Referee: Iudiney Cesar Rocha (PI)
• VAR: Marco Aurélio Augusto Fazekas Ferreira (MG)
• VAR assistants: Amanda Matias Masseira (SP) and Tiago Nascimento dos Santos (PE)

RETROSPECT IN THE BRAZILIAN CHAMPIONSHIP

Flamengo is the best home team in the competition, with 26 points from 10 games, including 8 wins, 2 draws, and no losses . Vitória, on the other hand, boasts one of the worst away records: 18th among visitors, with just 5 points from 10 matches (5 draws, 5 losses), and still without a win.

SITUATION IN THE TABLE

Flamengo leads the Brasileirão with 43 points, one point ahead of current second-place Cruzeiro, but with two games in hand. Vitória, meanwhile, sits in 17th place and is in the relegation zone with 19 points.

Vitória ended this Sunday (24) the preparation to face Flamengo , in a game scheduled for this Monday (25), at 9 pm (Brasília time), at Maracanã, for the 21st round of the Brazilian Championship . Check out the details of Leão:

RETURNS AND DEFAULTS

Midfielder Willian Oliveira has recovered from a knee injury and is back at the disposal of coach Fábio Carille . Zé Marcos and Ronald are also back after suspensions. Defender Neris will be out of the squad after being sent off against Juventude and is serving an automatic suspension.

The medical department remains full : Claudinho, Cáceres, Jamerson, Baralhas, Rúben Ismael, and Romarinho are still recovering, while Matheuzinho is in physical transition. Given the high number of injuries, Carille named three youngsters from the youth academy: defender Andrei, defensive midfielder Edenilson, and midfielder Wendell.

PROBABLE LINEUP

With the many absences, the tendency is for Vitória to enter the field against Flamengo with: Lucas Arcanjo; Edu (or Lucas Braga), Lucas Halter, Zé Marcos and Ramon; Ricardo Ryller (or Willian Oliveira), Ronald and Cantalapiedra (or Pepê); Erick, Osvaldo and Renato Kayzer.

SITUATION IN THE TABLE

Vitória has 19 points from 20 games and is in the relegation zone of the Brasileirão . During Sunday's training session, the team performed warm-ups, tactical and technical exercises focusing on possession, and defensive set-piece drills. The goalkeepers participated in position-specific drills.

Brazilian football's second transfer window is in its final stretch and closes on September 2. With only ten days remaining, the question fans are asking is: will Flamengo still make new signings or could it lose players ?

REINFORCEMENTS IN THE SEASON

So far, Flamengo has brought in four players this summer: Emerson Royal, Saúl, Carrascal, and Samuel Lino . Previously, during a special period for the Club World Cup, they had already signed midfielder Jorginho. The internal assessment is that the investments were satisfactory, strengthening areas considered lacking and giving Filipe Luís more options.

NEW HIRES?

The board isn't considering the arrival of new players in this final stretch. Some positions are still being monitored: goalkeeper, center-back, and center-forward . However, the football management team, led by executive José Boto, plans to postpone these changes until the end of the season.

• Goalkeeper: the idea is to hire a replacement for Rossi, as Matheus Cunha has a contract until the end of the year and has a contract with Cruzeiro from 2026.
• Center forward: This position is being carefully evaluated. Pedro has once again excelled, Wallace Yan has shown improvement, and even without Juninho's emergence, there are alternatives like Bruno Henrique and Plata to improvise.
• Defender: Considered the biggest need. Léo Ortiz and Léo Pereira played practically the entire season without rest. Despite Danilo's recovery and the options available to youngsters João Victor, Cleiton, and even Iago (under-20), the board plans to reinforce the defense only at the end of the year, already anticipating possible departures.

FINAL SCENARIO

With no negotiations underway, Flamengo is unlikely to sign any more players until the window closes . The priority now is the December transfer window, when the club is expected to move primarily to strengthen its defense.