Flamengo face Santos as ‘awkward visitors’ in the Brasileirão | OneFootball

With 27 points in 14 away matches, the league leaders arrive at Vila Belmiro with the best away record in the 2026 Brasileirão

Flamengo visit Santos next Thursday (08) at 7:30 p.m. (Brasília time) at Vila Belmiro for the 29th round of the Brasileirão. The league leaders head to Baixada Santista as the team with the best away campaign in the competition. In 14 matches away from home, Leonardo Jardim’s side has collected 27 points.

This performance helps sustain the lead. With 60 points in 28 rounds, the Rubro-Negro are three points ahead of Palmeiras, who have 57. In addition, the match marks the team’s return after the FIFA international break. The team has not played since September 20, when it beat Red Bull Bragantino 2-1 at the Maracanã.

The numbers behind the best away team in the 2026 Brasileirão

Away from home, Flamengo have won 8 matches, drawn 3, and lost 3. As a result, their success rate stands at 64.3%, according to Coluna do Fla’s survey of home and away campaigns. The attack also carries weight: 27 goals scored and 13 conceded away from home. Therefore, the average is close to 2 goals per match.

Palmeiras also have 27 points away from home. However, their rivals needed 15 matches to reach that mark, with 7 wins, 6 draws, and 2 losses. That gives Flamengo the edge in number of wins, and they have also played one fewer away match.

The big wins illustrate the team’s strength away from Rio. The Rubro-Negro recorded 4-0 victories over Atlético-MG and Chapecoense. They then thrashed Mirassol 5-1. On the other hand, their most recent away defeat came on August 22, when Cruzeiro won 2-1. After that, the team returned to winning ways on the road by beating Remo 1-0.

Their home campaign also leads the competition, with 33 points in 14 matches. Even so, there are still 10 rounds left, and half of them will be away from home. Vila Belmiro opens this final stretch of away fixtures.

Flamengo will have absences at Vila Belmiro

Arrascaeta is the main absence. The midfielder fractured his left wrist on Monday (28) in the friendly in which Uruguay beat South Korea 4-1 in Seoul. He then underwent surgery on Thursday (1st). According to reporting by Coluna do Fla, the expectation is that he will also miss the team’s two Libertadores semifinal matches.

Evertton Araújo remains out as he is recovering from a grade 3 muscle injury in the adductor of his left thigh. Ayrton Lucas has returned to training with the group, but he remains under the care of the Medical Department. Gonzalo Plata, meanwhile, has overcome discomfort in his right thigh and resumed activities with the squad.

Among the called-up players, the situation is split. Football director José Boto guaranteed Pedro and Samuel Lino against Santos. On the other hand, he described Varela and Anthony Valencia as likely absentees:

Brazil face India on Saturday (03) at 11 a.m. (Brasília time) in Kolkata. Meanwhile, Varela’s Uruguay take on India on Tuesday (06) at 1 p.m. (Brasília time). So the full-back will have only two days until the match in Baixada Santista.

Santos could have Neymar back

On the other side, Santos are working to have Neymar available against Flamengo. The number 10 is in the final stages of his physical recovery. Because of that, he will not face São Paulo this Friday (02) at 8 p.m. (Brasília time) at MorumBIS. Even so, the expectation is that he will be available to Cuca on Thursday (08), possibly for a few minutes.

Before this Friday’s round, the São Paulo side sat in 8th place with 38 points from 27 matches. Santos are currently fighting for a spot in the Copa Sudamericana.

In the first half of the season, Flamengo won 3-1, coming from behind, at the Maracanã on April 5. Lautaro Díaz opened the scoring for Santos early in the second half. After that, Pedro, Jorginho from the penalty spot, and Lucas Paquetá secured the Rubro-Negro victory.

Proposal to change venue did not move forward

Before the ball even rolled, the match sparked noise off the pitch. Santos proposed moving the game forward to Wednesday (07) at MorumBIS. In an official statement, Flamengo denied having rejected the request and said it had promptly accepted the change. Later, according to the club, unofficial information came in that Santos had dropped the idea.

As a result, the game remains scheduled for Vila Belmiro. Premiere will broadcast the match on pay-per-view. In addition, Coluna do Fla will cover the clash on YouTube, on its website, and across social media.

What is Flamengo’s schedule after Santos?

The schedule gets tight right after the trip. Flamengo host Fluminense on Sunday (11) at 5:30 p.m. (Brasília time) at the Maracanã. Then they visit Estudiantes (ARG) on Thursday (15) at 9:30 p.m. (Brasília time) in La Plata for the first leg of the Libertadores semifinal.

Between the two matches against the Argentinians, the team face Bahia on Sunday (18) at Arena Fonte Nova. Finally, they will decide a place in the final on Thursday (22) at 9:30 p.m. (Brasília time) at the Maracanã. In total, there will be five matches in 15 days, and the training week at Ninho do Urubu takes on added importance ahead of the marathon.

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