Flamengo will make changes against Corinthians; See likely lineup

Flamengo faces Corinthians this Sunday (28), in the 25th round of the Brazilian Championship. The duel takes place at 8:30 pm (Brasília time), at Neo Química Arena, in São Paulo. Fans who want to watch the match will be able to watch on open TV, but not on Rede Globo .

WHERE TO WATCH

The interstate classic will be broadcast on free-to-air TV Record . Fans will also have the option to watch the match on CazéTV (via YouTube streaming) and Premiere on pay-per-view.

FLAMENGO SITUATION

Coach Filipe Luís will have three confirmed absences. Erick Pulgar , recovering from surgery on his right foot, remains out. Ayrton Lucas is serving a suspension due to a backlog of yellow cards , while Michael, with a left ankle injury, did not travel to São Paulo.

PROBABLE LINEUPS

Flamengo: Rossi; Emerson Royal, Danilo, Leo Pereira (Leo Ortiz) and Matias Viña; De La Cruz, Jorginho (Allan) and Arrascaeta (Carrascal); Luiz Araújo, Samuel Lino (Everton Cebolinha) and Bruno Henrique (Pedro). Coach: Filipe Luis.

Corinthians: Hugo Souza; André Ramalho, Gustavo Henrique and Fabrizio Angileri; Matheuzinho, Maycon (Raniele), José Martinez, Breno Bidon and Matheus Bidu; Gui Negão (Vitinho) and Yuri Alberto. Coach: Dorival Jr.

HOW IS THE TABLE

Leader of the Brasileirão, Flamengo has 51 points. Cruzeiro, who lost to Vasco 2-0 this Saturday (27), is in second place with 50 points . Right behind them is Palmeiras, in third, with 49, and who still takes to the field this Sunday (28), against Bahia, at 4 pm. Corinthians is in 11th place with 29 points.

Flamengo once again demonstrated this week why it is considered one of the most structured clubs on the continent . Thanks to its financial management and firm approach to negotiations, Flamengo became the only team to receive full payment from Corinthians in 2024 .

The São Paulo club is facing a severe economic crisis and, to date, is in debt to all the clubs involved in its signings . This year alone, Timão has invested approximately R$172 million in 18 new signings, but has not yet been able to honor most of its commitments.

HOW FLAMENGO GUARANTEED PAYMENT

The situation was different with Flamengo, which established strict requirements for the release of its players. In the case of Matheuzinho, sold for R$21.48 million , the Rio de Janeiro club accepted an installment plan but demanded guarantees of payment.

Even so, Corinthians delayed the third installment and only paid off the outstanding amount in August, after Brax, the guarantor of the deal, assumed the obligation and subsequently transferred the funds to the Rubro-Negro. In the negotiations for Hugo Souza, Flamengo was even more categorical: they would only release the goalkeeper upon payment in full , which ultimately avoided major problems.

FULL PAYMENT

With these agreements, Flamengo became the only team not to suffer a default from Corinthians. The payment for Matheuzinho was only completed last month , even though the agreement was signed in February 2024. In early August, the remaining R$14 million finally reached the club's coffers.

CLASSIC IN THE BRAZILIAN CHAMPIONSHIP

With the issues resolved off the field, Flamengo and Corinthians now meet on the pitch . The duel, valid for the Brasileirão, takes place this Sunday (28), at 8:30 pm (Brasília time), at Neo Química Arena, in São Paulo.

The controversy surrounding the division of Libra's TV resources has gained new chapters. After Palmeiras spoke out against the injunction obtained by Flamengo in the Rio de Janeiro Court of Justice, other clubs in the bloc: São Paulo, Santos, Atlético-MG, and Red Bull Bragantino, also released statements condemning the club's stance.

Flamengo's decision suspended the payment of R$77 million relating to one of the installments of the Brasileirão pay-per-view contract with TV Globo , funds that would be distributed among the other members of Libra.

CLUBS POSITIONS

• São Paulo: criticized the current Flamengo management, stating that it "ignores responsibility for contracts inherited from the past" and emphasized that the club's successful history was built over the years, not by current leaders. The Flamengo also accused Flamengo of financially harming Brazilian soccer .
• Santos: accused the red-black board of “ individualistic attitudes, of those who only look out for their own interests ”.
• Red Bull Bragantino: also repudiated the measure, highlighting that “ changing the rule mid-stream disrespects all the efforts made ”.
• Atlético-MG: was the fifth club to speak out against Flamengo , maintaining a similar tone to that of Palmeiras, which had classified the strategy as “predatory and vile” , with the aim of “financially suffocating” the other clubs.

FLAMENGO'S RESPONSE

In a statement released on Friday (26), the club argued that its right to veto was not respected and classified Libra's decision to impose the division criteria as "illegal". Flamengo claims to have attempted an amicable solution before resorting to the courts and justified the action as necessary to avoid losses.

"Flamengo reaffirms that its fight is for its representation to be respected, for Libra's decisions to be made within the rules set out in the Statute and the Law , and for the history and value of each club to be recognized for their merits, in a fair and balanced manner," says the official statement.

LIBRA POSITION

Libra also issued a statement condemning Flamengo's "unilateral and sudden decision." The organization emphasized that the measure "erodes the group's harmony" and noted that the distribution model had been discussed and democratically approved by members . With the case now in court, the R$77 million remains frozen until a new court ruling.