Flamengo faces Pyramids, of Egyptian Zico, for the final against PSG in the Intercontinental Cup

With a view to a place in the final of Intercontinental CupFlamengo face the Pyramidsof Egypt, during his second participation in the competition organized by FIFA and which will feature the Challenger Cup. The match will kick off at 2 p.m. (Brasilia time) this Saturday at the Ahmad bin Ali Stadium, Al Rayyan, Qatar. After the 2-1 victory in the first match against Cruz Azul of Mexico, the Brazilian team dreams of winning this semi-final to decide the title against Paris Saint-Germain.

Current champion of the Copa Libertadores, Flamengo lifted the “Derbi of the Americas” trophy, beating Cruz Azul, winner of the last Concacaf Champions League. The Pyramids secured their place in the tournament after winning the African Champions League and reaching the semi-finals, beating Auckland City of Australia 3-0 and Al-Ahli of Saudi Arabia 3-1.

The winner of this semi-final will go to the final against the popular PSG, current winner of the Champions League. The French team, between June and July, was vice-champion of the first Super Club World Cup organized by FIFA and played in the United States. In the final, they were considered favorites, but ended up losing 3-0 to Chelsea of ​​England. The decision will take place next Wednesday, starting at 2 p.m., also in Al Rayyan city.

Coach Filipe Luís has adopted an atmosphere of mystery to define the team, insinuating that he might keep some players for a possible qualification for the final. He spoke about the possibility of making changes to the first team.

“I can’t tell you anything. Our group has players over 30 years old and the recovery after three days is not complete. Our opponent rested to play this match and we didn’t. We need to find a competitive, solid and fresh team,” said the coach.

Given this scenario, left-back Ayrton Lucas could be the main news. He should replace the experienced Alex Sandro, who remained on the field for the 90 minutes against Cruz Azul. Furthermore, the defense should be the same, notably with Léo Ortiz in the middle of the defense, Danilo remaining as an option on the bench.

The midfield trio formed by Eric Pulgar, Jorginho and Arrascaeta should be maintained, but changes could occur in attack with the entry of Luiz Araújo or Plata. What is certain is that Filipe Luís wants to “give details” to center forward Pedro, who trained this week. He has recovered from a serious left thigh injury and has a chance to make his return to action, having been out since October 22.

“Pedro came back with the same confidence and joy, even overcoming his arm injury. He is an important player and I hope he participates a little in this match,” explained Filipe Luís. The coach also praised the Egyptian opponent: “This is a team that has experienced players, some of whom play in Europe, they have a lot of physical strength and now they have a lot of investment behind them. They are a team that we have to respect and we have to take this match very seriously.”

The Egyptian team is led by Croatian Krunoslav Jurcic, who took over in 2023. The coach’s reference is Congolese striker Fiston Mayele, current top scorer with eight goals scored this season.

Jurcic admitted he knew little about the Brazilian team, but ranked the match as the most important in the club’s history. “I know a lot about Brazilian football, but I have seen few Flamengo matches. I think I have watched the last four matches. They are a team with big names. Maybe we don’t have such experienced players, but I have respect for Flamengo. This is the most important match in the history of Pyramids,” said the Croatian.

Brazilian striker Ewerton Silva, 28, is one of the stars of the Pyramids. Revealed by São Bernardo and a large part of his career built abroad, he was signed in July after a spell at Baník Ostrava, in the Czech Republic, for 2.8 million euros (around 18 million reais at the time), becoming the most expensive signing in the Egyptian club’s history.

The team also Mostafa Mohamed Zaki Abdelraouf in attack, known as Mostafa Zico. The Egyptian adopted his nickname in honor of Zico, the greatest idol in Flamengo’s history, who led the team’s victorious 1981 World Cup campaign.

FLAMENGO X PYRAMIDS

• FLEMISH -Rossi; Varela, Léo Ortiz, Léo Pereira and Ayrton Lucas (Alex Sandro); Erick Pulgar, Jorginho and Arrascaeta; Carrascal, Bruno Henrique and Samuel Lino. Technical: Filipe Luis.
• PYRAMIDS – El Chenawy; Chibi, Osama Galal, Ahmed Samy and Mohamed Hamdi; Lasheen, Blati Touré and Zalaka; Ewerton Silva, Fiston Mayele and Mostafa Zico. Technical: Krunoslav Jurcic.
• ARBITRATOR – Al Jassim Abdulrahman (Qatar).
• TIME – 2 p.m.
• LOCATION – Ahmad bin Ali Stadium, in Al Rayyan, Qatar.