Will he go far? Former player says Flamengo will reach the Club World Cup final

Flamengo returns to the field this Sunday (5) to face Bahia, in the 27th round of the Brazilian Championship. The ball rolls at 6:30 pm (Brasília time), at Arena Fonte Nova, in Salvador. The confrontation, however, will not be broadcast on Globo on open TV . The match will be broadcast exclusively by Premiere, on pay-per-view, for all of Brazil.

PROBABLE LINEUPS

Coach Filipe Luís should send onto the field a Flamengo team with: Rossi; Varela, Léo Ortiz, Danilo and Ayrton Lucas; De La Cruz (Allan), Jorginho and Arrascaeta; Plata (Carrascal), Samuel Lino (Everton Cebolinha) and Pedro (Bruno Henrique).

On the other side, Rogério Ceni faces a series of squad problems. Bahia has 12 absences and will need to improvise in some areas. The likely starting lineup includes : Ronaldo; Gilberto, David Duarte (Fredi), Rezende, and Zé Guilherme; Acevedo, Jean Lucas, and Everton Ribeiro; Kayky, Iago Borduchi (Michel Araújo, Tiago, or Cauly), and Willian José.

EMBARRASSMENTS

Flamengo midfielder Saúl felt pain in his left ankle and is out of the match . Léo Pereira and Alex Sandro are also serving suspensions and will also be out. Pulgar, who is recovering from a broken foot, remains unavailable.

Bahia, meanwhile, is suffering from 12 absences . The good news for Ceni is the return of Acevedo, who returns from suspension, and the possible return of David Duarte, who trained with the squad and may return early—his return was only scheduled after the FIFA International Day.

Bahia's absences: Luciano Juba, Gabriel Xavier, Santi Arias, Sanabria and Rodrigo Nestor (suspended); Erick, Ruan Pablo and Caio Alexandre (transition); Kanu (physical reconditioning); João Paulo, Ramos Mingo and Erick Pulga (injured).

Flamengo traveled to Salvador on Saturday afternoon (4) with an important absence : Saúl felt pain in his left ankle and is out of the match against Bahia , this Sunday (5), at 6:30 pm, at Arena Fonte Nova, for the Brazilian Championship. In addition to him, Léo Pereira and Alex Sandro are also missing from the team due to suspension.

In the medical department, only Pulgar remains recovering from surgery on his right foot. The Chilean midfielder is expected to return to action after the FIFA World Cup . With the absence in midfield, De la Cruz is expected to take over the starting role alongside Jorginho. In defense, Danilo is expected to partner Léo Ortiz, while Ayrton Lucas returns to left-back.

PROBABLE LINEUP

Flamengo's likely team has: Rossi; Varela (or Royal), Danilo, Léo Ortiz and Ayrton Lucas; De La Cruz (Allan), Jorginho and Arrascaeta; Plata (or Carrascal), Samuel Lino (or Cebolinha) and Pedro.

WHERE TO WATCH

The match between Bahia and Flamengo will be broadcast exclusively on Premiere (pay-per-view) . The match is scheduled for Sunday (5), at 6:30 pm, at Arena Fonte Nova, in Salvador. The referee will be Rodrigo Lima (PE).

FAVORABLE RETROSPECT FOR FLAMENGO

The recent history at Fonte Nova gives the red-and-black team confidence. Since 2006, in 11 away matches against Bahia, Flamengo has won six (55%), drawn two, and lost three. In more recent matches, their dominance is even more evident: they have five wins, one draw, and only one loss in the last seven matches . This record reinforces the Rio de Janeiro team's optimism in another decisive round in the fight for the Brasileirão lead.

The Ceará Civil Police closed the investigation into former Flamengo and Fortaleza defender David Luiz after social worker Francisca Karollainy Barbosa Cavalcante accused him of making threats . The case was handled by the 2nd Women's Defense Department (DDM) in Fortaleza, and the final report found a lack of evidence against the player. The information was initially released by journalist Diogo Dantas of the newspaper O Globo.

POLICE FOUND NO EVIDENCE AGAINST THE FORMER DEFENDER

According to the police chief in charge, Rachel de Queiroz Moreira, the investigation will be closed due to a lack of evidence to support the accusation . According to the document, the technical evidence and statements collected during the investigation did not prove any criminal conduct attributed to David Luiz .

During the investigation, experts analyzed the complainant's cell phone and found no messages, records, or behavior that constituted a threat . The former Flamengo player had publicly declared his innocence, stating that he never had contact of this nature with the social worker.

"Based on the facts outlined above, the technical evidence, and the testimonies included in the case file, the information gathered to date has been insufficient for this Police Authority to substantiate the indictment of the suspect , considering the lack of even minimal material evidence of the crimes. Therefore, I hereby refrain from pursuing any criminal indictment and suggest that the case be dismissed, subject to better judgment," the report states.

CONTRADICTIONS IN THE ACCUSER'S ACCOUNT

The investigation also identified inconsistencies in Francisca Karollainy's testimony. Conversations extracted from her cell phone revealed a discussion with a friend about the possibility of colluding to incriminate the player , raising doubts about the credibility of the accusation.

Furthermore, employees of the hotel mentioned in the testimony were interviewed and denied David Luiz's presence at the hotel on the date mentioned by the complainant . Therefore, the Civil Police concluded that there was insufficient material to indict the former defender and recommended that the case be closed.