Palmeiras and Flamengo are seeking to be the first Brazilian quartet in the Libertadores to expand their dominance

Lima – Palmeiras and Flamengo This Saturday, at 6pm (Brasilia time), it will be decided who will be the first Brazilian team to become champions of the tournament four times. Libertadores. The Monumental Stadium in Lima, Peru, will serve as the stage for another chapter in the heated rivalry between São Paulo and Rio de Janeiro, which became more evident in 2021 and has only intensified since then.

Four years ago, Palmeiras beat Flamengo in Montevideo, Uruguay, to lift its third trophy in the continent’s most important tournament.

That match, punctuated by provocations, washed the souls of Palmeiras and was decided by the failure of Andreas Pereira, a figure of negative importance in 2021 who now wants to be the protagonist while he is on the other side.

The rivalry intensified in subsequent years because both continued to compete for titles, including this year’s Brazilian League championship, which Flamengo came very close to winning, and because players, coaches and managers maintained a high tone both behind the scenes and in public.

Leila Pereira and Louise Eduardo Baptista, BAPThe presidents of Palmeiras and Flamengo contributed to this war scenario, through battles over the distribution of funds related to broadcasting rights, discussions about artificial turf and questions about arbitration errors and successes. But this week, the two players let their guard down and exchanged high-fives as they shared the stage at the Summit CBF Academy in Sao Paulo.

The Paulistas and Rio de Janeiro already dominate the national and continental arena and seek to expand this dominance, which began with the financial restructuring of the two federations more than a decade ago, with presidents Paulo Nobre and Eduardo Bandeira de Mello. They organized themselves and today they are proud to repeatedly compete for and win titles.

Looking for his third Libertadores title to isolate himself as the most successful coach in Palmeiras’ history – today he shares the position with Oswaldo Brandao, each with 10 trophies – Abel Ferreira has created the usual uncertainty around the lineup and is preparing a strategy that could catch Flamengo, as he did in 2021.

Seriously, the coach sent timid gestures to the fans upon his arrival in Lima and showed signs of fatigue after five consecutive matches without a win for Palmeiras, which entered a downward spiral days before the most important match of the season.

But he believes they are different competitions. We also depend, as fans, on Palmeiras’ resilience and ability to thrive in crucial moments. This was the case in 2020 and 2021.

“Our opponent is strong and experienced. Our team is young and respectable. It has a present and a lot of future. It has potential. This team has already shown what it is capable of,” added the Palmeiras captain.

The most important question is the goal: Carlos Miguel or Weverton? The trend is for the giant over 2 meters tall to continue as a starter because he is one of the team’s most prominent players and because the former starter recently broke one of his fingers.

“The coach is the one who knows about my presence,” and was limited to saying Weverton, who was present at the pre-match press conference alongside the coach.

On the bench or as a starter, the goalkeeper is a relic of the final four years ago. He and captain Gustavo Gomez are aiming for their 13th win and will be among the athletes with the most titles in the club’s history if the result is positive on Saturday against Palmeiras.

Champion in 2019 and 2022 as an athlete and runner-up in 2021, coach Filipe Luis is looking for a Libertadores treble and another trophy in his short career as a professional coach – which spans just over a year.

“There are always surprises. There are details, we will always try to surprise. In the end, it is the players who decide,” the coach said after being asked if he would reveal the 11 players who will start the decision in Lima, Peru.

The attackers do not have the suspended Plata nor the injured Pedro. But both are in Lima with the delegation. The presence of Leo Ortiz is the main doubt in Flamengo’s decision.

The defender participated in recent training sessions in Lima and has a chance to play. If he does not play, Danilo will start alongside Leo Pereira, who spoke in a press conference.

“The match requires a lot of belief as well as the mental aspect. We arrived strong and consistent. We are ready for any scenario.”

Palmeiras

• Palm trees: Carlos Miguel; Khalfin, Gomez, Murillo and Pequerez; Bruno Fuchs, Andreas Pereira; Rafael Vega and Alan. Flaco Lopez and Vitor Roque. idiomatic: Abel Ferreira.
• Flemish: Russian. Varela, Leo Ortiz (Danilo), Leo Pereira and Alex Sandro; Eric Pulgar, Jorginho and Arascaeta; Carrascal, Luiz Araujo (Everton Cipoliña) and Bruno Henrique. Coach: Filipe Luis.
• arbitrator: Dario Herrera (Argentina)
• time: 6pm (Brasilia time)
• location: Lima Monumental Stadium, Peru
• television: Globo, ESPN and GE TV.