Flamengo count on Pedro and Samuel Lino for Santos, Varela and Valencia likely absentees | OneFootball

Flamengo are counting on Pedro and Samuel Lino for Thursday’s meeting with Santos as the Brasileirão returns after the Fifa window, while Varela and Anthony Valencia are at risk of missing out. According to Globo.com, football director José Boto said the club expect the Brazilian forwards to be available.

Brazil conclude their schedule in Asia on Saturday at 11:00 Brasília time against India. So far, the Flamengo pair have featured sparingly, with Samuel Lino totalling 33 minutes across two games with Australia and Pedro playing 26 minutes in last Friday’s opener.

Boto indicated Varela and Valencia are unlikely to make the Santos match because of the travel demands. He added Flamengo are relying on Pedro and Lino to arrive in time, acknowledging they will not be at peak condition but could still help in an important fixture.

Varela is due to face India with Uruguay in Asia on Tuesday, leaving a long journey back to Brazil. Valencia is competing in the Kirin Cup in Japan, where Ecuador lost to the hosts and will contest third place on Monday against Panama or New Zealand.

Boto stopped short of confirming the absences, but their chances of featuring in the next Brasileirão round are remote.

Source: Globo.com

“Artificial intelligence was used to assist in creating this article based on reporting from the original source quoted.”