First team to face Flamengo? Botafogo boss lifts the lid on Carioca line-up | OneFootball

Flamengo and Botafogo face off on Sunday (15th), in the Carioca quarterfinals

Botafogo is going through a marathon. This Thursday (12th), the team lost to Fluminense in the Brasileirão. On Sunday (15th), they face Flamengo in the quarterfinals of the Carioca. Then, on Wednesday (18th), they debut in the Libertadores at the altitude of Potosí, against Nacional (BOL). Asked about the planning for the classic against Mengão, the alvinegro coach Martín Anselmi dodged the question.

— We have to think day by day. Now we have an important match and we’ll see who are the best players to play. Then we’ll think about Bolivia. It’s one game at a time. The approach to the trip is very complex. We have to travel, go up on the day of the game, by car, more than three hours, to be able to play at altitude. Some of our players will travel today (Thursday) already to the altitude, to start getting ready, but with this situation, we also need players to play against Flamengo. That’s what I’m saying. We have to think carefully about how we’re going to do it, which squad will stay to play now against Flamengo. We have to put out the best because, for me, it’s an important game. And then we’ll talk about the planning with the trip and the altitude— , said the Argentine coach of Botafogo, in a press conference at Maracanã.

– We’re already working on it, we know what we want to do. Allan couldn’t play against Flamengo because he was suspended, but I don’t know if now Danilo will be able to play against Flamengo. I have to see if Danilo can play, I have to see what’s happening with Mateo Ponte, I have to see what’s happening with Tucu (Correa), who was about to return. From now on, it’s about seeing who are the best players to play against Flamengo and who are the best players to play in Bolivia –, he added, referring to Danilo, who left injured against Fluminense.

SO, A CLASSIC WITH ALTERNATIVE TEAMS?

If Botafogo is facing a dilemma because of the Campeonato Carioca quarterfinals on the eve of their Libertadores debut, Flamengo may also follow the path of fielding an alternative team. After all, the club doesn’t treat the State Championship as a priority and is about to start the Recopa title race.

After all, on the next two Thursdays (19th and 26th), Flamengo faces Lanús (ARG). In the first leg, Mengão will travel to Argentina. The return leg will be at Maracanã. Almost at the same time, Botafogo will decide their fate in the pre-Libertadores, with matches on February 18th and 25th, against Nacional de Potosí.

WHEN WILL BOTAFOGO VS FLAMENGO BE, AFTER ALL?

With a place in the Campeonato Carioca semifinals at stake, Flamengo and Botafogo face each other on Sunday (15th), starting at 5:30 pm (Brasília time), at Estádio Nilton Santos, the Engenhão. The match will be broadcast by Globo, on free-to-air TV, to part of Brazil. In addition, Premiere (pay-per-view) and GETV (YouTube) will show the decisive classic, which promises many surprises in the starting lineup.

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