POSSIBLE DEFAULT! ZAGUEIRO LEAVES FEELING PAIN AND COULD BE DEFEATING FLAMENGO IN LIBERTADORES

On Thursday night (September 18), Flamengo and Estudiantes face each other at Maracanã , in Rio de Janeiro, for the first leg of the quarterfinals of the Copa Libertadores 2025. The ball rolls at 9:30 pm (Brasília time), with exclusive broadcast on ESPN and Disney+.

COMPLICATED PROJECTION

Coach Eduardo Domínguez acknowledges the difficulty of the match, but is confident in the Argentine team's ability to achieve a good result away from home. Estudiantes arrives with high morale: they had a solid campaign in the group stage and eliminated Cerro Porteño in the round of 16 , with three away wins and only one loss, against Botafogo.

Probable line-up: Fernando Muslera; Román Gómez, Santiago Núñez, Facundo Rodríguez and Santiago Arzamendia; Tiago Palacios, Gabriel Neves, Santiago Ascacíbar, Mikel Amondarain and Cristian Medina; Guido Carrillo.

HEAVY DEFAULTS

Estudiantes will be without key players for the Rio clash. 33-year-old defender González Pírez, a River Plate alumnus, suffered a Grade 3 injury to his right hamstring and is expected to be out for at least a month, missing both games against Flamengo .

In attack, Colombian Edwuin Cetré, 27, is also out. He suffered a grade 1 muscle injury to the biceps femoris in his left leg and will not play at the Maracanã . However, he is expected to recover for the return leg, scheduled for September 25th in La Plata.

The Brazilian Championship's undisputed leader, Flamengo, returns to the field this Thursday (18) to face Estudiantes in the first leg of the Copa Libertadores quarterfinals. The match takes place at 9:30 pm (Brasília time), at Maracanã, with live broadcast on ESPN. The return duel is scheduled for September 25, at Jorge Luis Hirschi Stadium, in La Plata, also at 9:30 pm.

Coach Filipe Luís will have some key reinforcements. Varela and Bruno Henrique, who missed the win against Juventude, are available, as is Léo Ortiz, who served a suspension in the last round of the Brasileirão . Alex Sandro and Jorginho, on the other hand, are still doubtful, as they have been undergoing physical therapy and will have their status determined shortly before the match.

STUDENTS ARRIVE WITHOUT STAFF

Eduardo Domínguez's team will be without González Pirez and Edwuin Cetré, both injured. Even so, 27 players traveled to Rio de Janeiro for the match. The final training session took place at Fluminense's training center in the city's West Zone . In the round of 16, Estudiantes advanced by defeating Cerro Porteño 1-0 on aggregate.

PROBABLE LINEUPS

FLAMENGO (Coach: Filipe Luis): Rossi; Varela (Emerson Royal), Leo Ortiz, Leo Pereira and Ayrton Lucas (Viña); Saul, De La Cruz (Jorginho) and Arrascaeta; Plata, Pedro and Samuel Lino.

ESTUDIATES (Coach: Eduardo Domínguez): Muslera; Román Gómez, Santiago Núñez, Facundo Rodríguez and Santiago Arzamendia; Ascacíbar, Gabriel Neves, Amondarain and Medina; Tiago Palacios and Guido Carrillo.

Flamengo and Estudiantes face each other this Thursday (17), at 9:30 pm (Brasília time), at Maracanã, for the first leg of the quarterfinals of the Copa Libertadores. Fans of both teams have sold out their tickets and promise a huge party in the stands , worthy of a decisive clash in the main club tournament in South America.

Flamengo is expected to break the attendance record in Brazil in 2025. The current record is held by the Rio de Janeiro club itself, which drew 69,447 fans in its draw with Grêmio in the Brazilian Championship . With high demand for tickets and the atmosphere of the final, the number is projected to be surpassed this Thursday.

MARACANÃ HAS THE LARGEST CAPACITY IN THE COUNTRY

Maracanã has a capacity of approximately 78,000 fans, making it the largest stadium in the country. However, due to mandatory separation between fans, not all seats are available . Even so, Flamengo usually reaches nearly 70,000 attendance when it reaches its record attendance, which is expected for this match.

Rubro-Negro reached the quarterfinals after eliminating Internacional , while Estudiantes advanced by defeating Cerro Porteño. The semifinal spot will be decided in the second leg in Argentina next week.

FLAMENGO LEADS RANKING

• 69,447 – Flamengo 1x1 Grêmio
• 69,393 – Flamengo 0x0 Fluminense
• 68,483 – Flamengo 1x0 Internacional
• 67,501 – Flamengo 4x0 Corinthians
• 67,359 – Flamengo 2x0 Sao Paulo