Tite defined Flamengo and announced the 11 starters who will face Peñarol, this Thursday, at Maracanã, at 7pm. De la Cruz returns to the starting lineup in place of Léo Ortiz, and Alex Sandro and Plata were retained. The duel with the Uruguayans is the first between the teams in the quarter-finals of the Copa Conmebol Libertadores. Follow the Red and Black lineup:Rossi, Varela, Fabrício Bruno, Léo Pereira and Alex Sandro; Pulgar, De la Cruz, Gerson and Arrascaeta; Plata and Bruno Henrique.

Alex Sandro and Plata, debutants in last Sunday's classic, remain in the team after having good performances in the draw against Vasco. Gabigol is now out of the relationship due to fibrosis in the posterior muscle of his right thigh. Flamengo, in a statement, reported that the athlete did not suffer any injury in the region. Check it out:

"The Clube de Regatas do Flamengo informs that the athlete Gabriel Barbosa underwent tests that did not diagnose an injury to the posterior muscle of his right thigh. However, the Technical Committee opted for precaution and did not list him for the duel against Peñarol due to fibrosis in the region. Gabi is handed over to physiotherapists and physical trainers for the series of decisive games of the season."

Flamengo faces Peñarol (URU) in the first game of the CONMEBOL Libertadores quarter-finals and, here, you can watch the broadcast, live, with 2h30 of pre-game, interviews, the team's arrival at Maracanã and everything more.

Follow the match live here:

In the relationship between Gabigol and coach Tite at Flamengo, only the field is capable of speaking. Between the striker and coach, there is practically no dialogue, and the cold and silent war dictates that only one of them should remain at the club for the season in 2025.

No atmosphere with the coaching staff and also with the squad , Gabriel Barbosa has been convinced to change and airs, but even the clubs that expressed interest in the first half of the year backed away. With a contract at Flamengo until the end of December, Gabigol had offers from Palmeiras, Corinthians and Santos, was mentioned at Grêmio, but did not want to sign a pre-contract with any team.

The expectation was to try to turn things around on top in the second half, otherwise he would end his time at Flamengo like the idol he became, without any fuss.

Tite's arrival last year changed the entire perspective of the striker, who was already in a bad phase previously, and lost his place once and for all to Pedro with the presence of the new coach. With the center forward's recent injury, Tite kept Gabigol at the end of the line, under the argument that Carlinhos and Bruno Henrique perform better in the scheme with a reference man .

Without understanding the criteria, Gabi maintains her dedication to the basic level of professionalism in training, as it is not part of the coach's or the club's plans for a possible renewal. With the chances of a comeback practically buried, the two possible paths are to wait for the election in Flamengo to find out if Tite will remain with the next president; or wait for the end of the contract to freely listen to proposals again. Palmeiras and Santos have not yet given up on the idea, and Bahia appears as an option, as it has good investment capacity.