Fluminense boss: I'll be rooting against Flamengo in cup decider | OneFootball

Luis Zubeldía, Fluminense’s coach, hopes Lanús (ARG) wins the Recopa

Flamengo will be seeking their first trophy of the year on February 19 and 26, against Lanús (ARG), in the Recopa Sudamericana. A rival of the Rubro-Negro in Brazil did not ‘sit on the fence’ and admitted he will be rooting for the Argentine team in the matches: Luis Zubeldía, coach of Fluminense

“Lanús is in my heart. I will always root for Lanús to succeed, no matter who they play against. Except when I am the coach of the opposing team,” said Zubeldía on Sunday (08), after Fluminense won the Taça Guanabara with a victory over Maricá at Maracanã.

WHAT IS ZUBELDÍA’S CONNECTION TO LANÚS?

Zubeldía caught the attention of South American football after a successful spell at LDU (Ecuador). However, before shining in Ecuador, Zubeldía managed Lanús from 2012 to 2014 and from 2019 to 2021. As a player, the current coach was a professional athlete for just one club, which happens to be Flamengo’s opponent in the Recopa. So, the Argentine has never hidden his affection for the team.

However, Zubeldía’s playing career was short-lived due to injuries, forcing him to retire at 24. Besides that, the coach met his wife at Lanús, something similar to what happened with Lucas Paquetá, who started dating Duda Fournier at Flamengo.

WHAT WILL THE RECOPA BE LIKE?

Last year’s Libertadores champion, Flamengo will face the 2025 Sudamericana winner, Lanús, in two matches. The first leg will be played in Argentina, and the return leg at Maracanã. O Mais Querido will be seeking their second title, while the ‘hermanos’ will be fighting for their first-ever trophy.

Before thinking about Lanús, Flamengo has matches in the Brasileirão and Carioca. The next one, in fact, is in the national competition, against Vitória. The match kicks off at 7pm (Brasília time), at Estádio Manoela Barradas, the Barradão, in Salvador.

This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇧🇷 here.