FLAMENGO CHANGES ITS LOGISTICS TO FACE SANTOS, UNDERSTAND

This Sunday night (22), at 6:30 pm (Brasília time), Flamengo will face Grêmio, in Porto Alegre, in the 27th round of the Brasileirão. A victory is crucial for Rubro-Negro, who currently has 45 points, to get closer to Fortaleza, third placed, with 49 points. Meet five Grêmio players, led by Renato Gaúcho, who deserve special attention in the clash.

Cristaldo: the midfielder, the team's starter, is Grêmio's top scorer in the Brasileirão with four goals.

Soteldo: the Venezuelan point guard is the leader of Grêmio's assists in the championship, with two passes for a goal, the same mark as Cristaldo.

Pavón: the Argentine striker also has two assists in the competition, equaling Cristaldo and Soteldo in terms of decisive passes.< /p>

Marchesín: goalkeeper Agustín Marchesín is going through a good phase and is the team's absolute starter. He has the third best average of Grêmio players in the Brasileirão, with 7.22 on the SofaScore app.

Probable lineups:

Grêmio: Marchesín; João Pedro, Gustavo Martins, Kannemann and Reinaldo; Villasanti, Dodi, Monsalve, Cristaldo and Soteldo; Braithwaite.

Flamengo: Matheus Cunha; Wesley, David Luiz, Cleiton and Ayrton Lucas; Everton Araújo, Allan, Alcaraz and Lorran; Gabigol and Carlinhos.

Grêmio will seek a rematch against Flamengo at their Arena this weekend. In the first round, at Maracanã, Rubro-Negro won 2-1, with two goals from Luiz Araújo. In stoppage time, Edenílson reduced the score for the Gauchos. Due to the clash against Peñarol in the Libertadores on Thursday, Tite will spare part of the red and black squad this Sunday.

The Flamengo was defeated by Peñarol last Thursday (19), 1-0. However, the Uruguayans' goal generated controversy, as Erick Pulgar kicked the ball into his own hand when trying to clear it. Thus, Conmebol released the audio of the VAR analysis.

Five minutes into the second half, at a Peñarol intersection in the Mais Querido, a player from the Uruguayan team deflects the ball to the middle of the small area and Pulgar, when trying to move away with his back, kicks it into his own arm. The move generated a lot of complaints from the opponent's players, but the referee did not check it with the VAR.

So, this past Friday (20), Conmebol released the analysis of the move, and the official audio from the VAR booth, in communication with the field referee, Jésus Valenzuela, at the time of the play.

“In the 50th minute, a defender in red and black ends up unintentionally throwing the ball into his arm, which was there as a result of his movement, justifiable by the action he performs. This does not constitute a hand infraction, as the player throws the ball against his own arm in an indeliberate manner”, explained the analysis of the play.

“The referee observed the action, and see that the game continues . The VAR carried out its protocol review, analyzing it with the appropriate angles, speeds and correct considerations regarding the action. And it confirms the original decision on the field”, he added.

Already in the VAR booth, the decision was taken quickly and the analysis of the move was carried out quickly.

“Check completes, takes the hand, but it comes from his own foot, from the inside out”, pointed out VAR number one, Juan Soto.

Flamengo's departure to Brasília was a surprise at Galeão International Airport, in Rio de Janeiro. The former president of Brazil, Dilma Rousseff, 'shaked' one of the venue's entrances and arranged for the red-black delegation to go to the federal capital for the Brasileirão game against Criciúma.

Dilma's arrival to Rio de Janeiro was accompanied by reinforced security. A series of police and private security cars filled the hall of the airport's Noble Hall. The disembarkation of the former president, who presided over Brazil between 2011 and 2016, took place moments before the arrival of the red-black delegation.

After the disembarkation of Dilma Rousseff, the Flamengo bus arrived at the location to start the boarding. The players and the rest of the Flamengo staff carried out the travel procedure smoothly, with the exception of Bruno Spindel. Flamengo's executive director had to get out of his private car in the parking lot next to the Salão Nobre, unlike on other days, when he stops at the door of the venue. The change occurred due to the large number of security cars at the entrance.

Flamengo and Criciúma face each other this Saturday (20), starting at 4pm (Brasília time), at the Mané Garrincha Stadium, in Brasília, for the 18th round of the Brasileirão. The match is crucial for Flamengo's aspirations in the competition, which is currently seeking to regain the top positions in the table.

The presence of Dilma Rousseff and the reinforced security scheme were an unexpected element in the embarkation of the Flamengo delegation, but did not affect the team's preparations for the important clash against Criciúma.