Rodinei tells the behind-the-scenes story of when he signed with Flamengo: "I didn't think twice"

This Sunday (17), at 6:30 pm (Brasília time) , Mengão visits Internacional at Beira-Rio for the 20th round of the Brazilian Championship Series A. Flamengo arrives at the clash with 40 points in 17 games , occupying the leadership of the competition.

Cruzeiro, with 37 points from 19 matches, is the only team that can get closer in the standings this round . Internacional, meanwhile, has 24 points and sits in 11th place before kick-off. This is a crucial matchup for both teams.

PROBABLE LINEUP

According to the week's training sessions, Flamengo 's likely lineup is: Rossi; Varela, Léo Ortiz, Léo Pereira and Ayrton Lucas; Allan, Jorginho and Arrascaeta; Luiz Araújo, Samuel Lino (Cebolinha) and Pedro.

EMERSON ROYAL IS OUT

Coach Filipe Luís is expected to make changes to the lineup, as has been common during his tenure. Emerson Royal sprained his left ankle during last Wednesday's game (13) at Maracanã and is unable to play. Varela will be the replacement at right-back and is expected to take over the position.

EXPECTATION OF RETURN

Another point of concern is De La Cruz's situation. The midfielder has been sidelined since July due to left knee pain , but he's expected to be included on the bench, having traveled south with the Mais Querido team.

This Sunday (17), at 10:30 am (Brasília time), Palmeiras and Flamengo face each other at Arena Barueri for the second leg of the quarterfinals of the Brazilian Women's Championship. The match will be broadcast live on TV Globo, Sportv and TV Brasil , as well as in real time on ge.

In the first leg, Flamengo won 3-2, earning their first victory against Palmeiras in women's soccer history. Djeni opened and closed the scoring, while Jucinara scored the second goal for Flamengo. For Flamengo, Tainá Maranhão scored twice. The result gives the Meninas da Gávea the advantage of a draw on aggregate. If Palmeiras recovers the one-goal deficit, the match will go to penalties.

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FLAMENGO'S ADVANTAGE

Until the first leg, the teams' head-to-head record showed a clear advantage for Palmeiras, with seven meetings between them, all of which went to Palmeiras. The red-and-black victory at Gávea broke that record and raised expectations for a tight duel in São Paulo.

In addition to a spot in the semifinals, the competition also involves the battle for top scorer. Palmeiras' Amanda Gutierres leads with 15 goals, while Flamengo 's Cristiane is third with nine . Neither of them scored in the first game, but they remain individual standouts.

Flamengo returns to the field this Sunday (17) to face Internacional , at Beira-Rio, for the 20th round of the Brazilian Championship. Rubro-Negro seeks to maintain the leadership of Serie A after beating Mirassol 2-1, at Maracanã, while Colorado tries to get going after the 3-1 victory over Red Bull Bragantino.

Flamengo sits atop the table with 40 points, while Internacional sits in 11th place with 24 points. Recent head-to-head records also favor the leaders: in the last five rounds, Filipe Luís's team has four wins and one draw , compared to three wins, one draw, and one loss for the Gauchos.

WHERE TO WATCH AND TIME

The match will be broadcast exclusively on Premiere , Grupo Globo's pay-per-view service, available with a monthly or annual subscription. The match, which marks the first leg of the Brasileirão 's second half, will be played at 6:30 p.m. (Brasília time) at Beira-Rio Stadium in Porto Alegre.

PROBABLE LINEUPS

INTERNATIONAL: Rochet; Benítez, Vitão (Clayton Sampaio), Victor Gabriel (Juninho) and Bernabei; Richard, Alan Rodríguez (Bruno Henrique), Vitinho, Bruno Tabata and Gustavo Prado; Borré (Ricardo Mathias). Coach: Roger Machado

FLAMENGO: Rossi; Varela, Leo Ortiz (Danilo), Leo Pereira and Ayrton Lucas; Allan, Saul, Arrascaeta (Carrascal); Everton Cebolinha, Luiz Araujo and Pedro. Coach: Filipe Luis

SHORTAGES AND DOUBTS

• Internacional: Carbonero and Mercado remain out. Alan Patrick, Aguirre, and Thiago Maia are expected to be rested.
• Flamengo: Erick Pulgar (broken foot) and Emerson Royal (sprained ankle) are confirmed out. Danilo and De La Cruz are still doubtful.