Flamengo boss sends message to Garotos do Ninho ahead of Carioca clash

In partnership with

Coluna do Fla

·10 January 2026

Flamengo boss sends message to Garotos do Ninho ahead of Carioca clash

Flamengo will have a team 100% composed of players from the youth academy

Flamengo has released the list of players for the match against Portuguesa, which takes place this Sunday (11), for the debut of the Carioca. The 24 players who went to Volta Redonda are from the red-black youth academy, something that earned praise from the under-20 team coach, Bruno Pivetti, who will lead the team in the match at the Raulino de Oliveira Stadium.

— We have been working with this squad aiming at the Campeonato Carioca since the end of last year, after the end of the Brazilian Serie A in early December, when many players had the opportunity to participate in the match against Mirassol, in which we played a great game. These are players born in 2007, 2006, and 2005, but we are well prepared collectively to prevent any fluctuations, which is normal at younger ages —, said Bruno Pivetti

— It is a great opportunity for them to show themselves to the club. They are players who know each other well, who have been working since last year, and we have a strong collective, with individual talents who will serve the team. We do hard work in the youth categories, and the players always have this eagerness to represent Flamengo's main team and our fans in the best way —, added the coach.

OneFootball Videos

WILL IT BE THE FIRST TIME FOR THE CURRENT UNDER-20 AGAINST PROFESSIONALS?

Bruno Pivetti has been at Flamengo since July of last year, leading the under-20 team. However, the coach has already had the opportunity to lead the team in matches against professionals twice. In a friendly, the Rubro-Negro thrashed Bayer Leverkusen (GER) 5-1. In the last round of the Brasileirão 2025, they drew 3-3 with Mirassol.

WHERE TO WATCH FLAMENGO VS PORTUGUESA?

In summary, the Garotos do Ninho take the field from 6 pm (Brasília time), at the Raulino de Oliveira Stadium, against Portuguesa. The match will be broadcast by Globo to most of Brazil, on open network. Additionally, the pay-per-view Premiere will show the clash.

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