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:

Next season is promising. That's at least in terms of Dates. The calendar defined by Conmebol for 2025 has some points that demand the clubs' attention. Mainly those who usually qualify for continental tournaments. Who plays in the initial stages

For Brazilian clubs, who enter the second preliminary stage of the Libertadores , the competition starts on February 19th. Whoever is going to play in this knockout stage needs to be minimally organized so as not to fall midway.

Whoever plays in the Libertadores will have an intense group stage. There will be six games in two months, between April and May. The competition will fill six of the nine possible midweeks in the period.

On the other hand, the interval between the end of the group stage and the beginning of the round of 16 will last practically two and a half months. The base date for the start of the knockout stage is August 13th.

Palmeiras, Flamengo and Fluminense are already confirmed in the FIFA World Cup. The competition takes place between June 15th and July 13th. It may be that someone falls early and receives an unwanted refreshment. But this depends on how the CBF will fit the national calendar into the scope made by Conmebol.

The CBF even tried take away, but the playoff between the third-placed teams in the Libertadores and the second-placed teams in the Sudamericana group stage is maintained. They already take place from July 15/16. Therefore, very close to the end of the World Cup.