Corinthians ready for Flamengo reunion, Raniele eyes Maracanã duel | OneFootball

On the morning of this Saturday (12), Corinthians held its final training session before facing Flamengo in the Brazilian Championship. At CT Dr. Joaquim Grava, Fernando Diniz led tactical and set-piece drills to finalize the last details of the team that will take the field this Sunday (13), at 5:30 p.m. (Brasília time), at the Maracanã.

The match, valid for the 27th round, will be the third meeting between the clubs in 2026. Timão heads into the clash in 12th place, with 32 points, and is looking for its ninth win in the competition. On the other side, Flamengo leads the table with 54 points.

Photo: Rodrigo Gazzanel / Corinthians Agency

Saturday’s schedule began with the presentation of a video containing tactical instructions in the Flexform Briefing Room. After that, the players went to the gym, where they performed strength exercises before warming up on the pitch.

In the main part of training, Diniz organized a ten-versus-ten tactical activity. The squad also worked on set-piece situations before wrapping up preparations for the trip to Rio de Janeiro.

During the session, Fernando Diniz tested a lineup featuring Hugo Souza; Pedro Milans, Iago Machado, Tchoca and Angileri; Raniele, Charles and Matheus Pereira; Dieguinho, Lingard and Gui Negão.

The lineup used in training draws attention because of the presence of players with less space in the first team, in addition to the return of Raniele, who is available again after serving an automatic suspension. The setup also included Iago Machado among the defenders and Lingard in the attacking sector.

Raniele returns and expects a difficult match at the Maracanã

One of the options available again to Fernando Diniz is Raniele. The midfielder served an automatic suspension and may be used against Flamengo. The No. 14 knows the opponent well this season, as he started in the previous two meetings between the teams in 2026.

Before the new clash, Raniele highlighted Flamengo’s strength at home, but showed confidence in the work done by Corinthians during preparation.

“We expect a very difficult match. Flamengo is a very strong team at home, but we’ll be prepared. We’ve done good work in these days we had to train. Hopefully we can go there to the Maracanã, play a great match and bring back a positive result for our fans,” Raniele shared.

On the other hand, Diniz will have one absence in midfield. Allan will not be able to face Flamengo, the club he belongs to. The midfielder is on loan at Corinthians until the end of 2026.

Corinthians looks to remain unbeaten against Flamengo in 2026

This season’s record brings back good memories for Timão. Corinthians and Flamengo have already faced each other twice this year, with one win for the black-and-white side and one draw.

The first meeting took place in February, at Arena Mané Garrincha, in the Supercopa Rei final. On that occasion, Corinthians won 2–0, with goals from Gabriel Paulista and Yuri Alberto, and lifted the trophy.

Shortly afterward, in March, the clubs met again, this time at Neo Química Arena in the first half of the Brazilian Championship. The match ended in a 1–1 draw, with Yuri Alberto once again finding the net for Timão.

Now, Corinthians will try to extend its unbeaten run against its rival this season and, above all, pick up points to improve its situation in the Brasileirão.

The clash also comes ahead of another important commitment for Fernando Diniz’s team. On Wednesday (16), at 9:30 p.m., Timão hosts Estudiantes at Neo Química Arena in the second leg of the Libertadores quarterfinals. The first meeting, played in Argentina, ended in a 1–1 draw.

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