Flamengo flying, may rest stars, face three ex-Corinthians | OneFootball

Corinthians visit Flamengo on the afternoon of this Sunday (13), at 5:30 p.m. (Brasília time), at the Maracanã, for the 27th round of the Brazilian Championship. While Timão try to halt their negative run in the competition, their opponent arrives in a confident moment, but needing to manage the squad after a taxing Libertadores trip.

The Rio club has 54 points from 26 matches and sits in second place in the Brasileirão, behind Palmeiras, who have 56 points and one more game played. The Rubro-Negro campaign includes 16 wins, six draws and four defeats, as well as 51 goals scored and 21 conceded.

Photo: Gilvan de Souza/Flamengo

Recent form has also been positive. Considering the last five matches, Flamengo won four times: 3-0 over Botafogo, 2-0 against Mirassol, 1-0 against Remo and 2-0 over Independiente del Valle. The only defeat in that span came against Cruzeiro, by 2-1.

Trip to Quito could lead to changes for Flamengo

Last Thursday (10), Flamengo were in Quito, Ecuador, to face Independiente del Valle in the first leg of the Libertadores quarterfinals. Even playing at approximately 2,850 meters above sea level, Leonardo Jardim’s team won 2-0 and took the advantage in the continental tie.

The squad returned to Rio de Janeiro on Friday and had little time between recovery, training and the match against Corinthians. Because of that, Jardim is considering resting some of the most worn-out players.

After the clash in Ecuador, the coach acknowledged that the physical demands of the match, combined with the travel, could weigh on his team selection for the Brasileirão. Flamengo also need to keep in mind that they will face Independiente del Valle again next Thursday (17), this time at the Maracanã, in the decisive second leg of the quarterfinals.

Even with possible changes, key names should be available. Pedro, for example, started the match in Quito on the bench and appears to be a strong candidate to start against Timão.

The likely Rubro-Negro lineup is: Rossi; Varela, Danilo, Léo Ortiz (Léo Pereira) and Ayrton Lucas; Pulgar, Lucas Paquetá and Carrascal; Plata, Bruno Henrique (Luiz Araújo) and Pedro.

The confirmed absence is Evertton Araújo. The midfielder suffered a grade-three injury to the adductor in his left thigh and is only expected to return in November.

Corinthians are also expected to rest players

Care regarding the Libertadores will not be limited to the Rubro-Negro side. Fernando Diniz is also expected to make several changes at Corinthians with the decisive match against Estudiantes in mind, scheduled for Wednesday (16) at 9:30 p.m. at Neo Química Arena.

In the last training session, according to reporting by Central do Timão, the coach worked with Hugo Souza; Pedro Milans, Iago Machado, Tchoca and Angileri; Raniele, Charles and Matheus Pereira; Dieguinho, Lingard and Gui Negão.

Raniele is one of the main exceptions among the players normally used by Diniz. The midfielder is suspended for the match against Estudiantes and, for that reason, may start at the Maracanã.

Corinthians come into the match with 32 points from 26 games, occupying 13th place in the Brazilian Championship. Timão have eight wins, eight draws and ten defeats, with 27 goals scored and 27 conceded.

The black-and-white side are mainly trying to end a run of four straight defeats in the national competition. Cruzeiro, Coritiba, Santos and Chapecoense beat Corinthians in the last rounds of the Brasileirão.

The ex-player rule could come into play at the Maracanã

In addition to the battle for points, the clash features important reunions. Hugo Souza, Matheuzinho and Vitinho, currently Corinthians players, have all played for Flamengo during their careers.

Hugo Souza came through the youth ranks of the Rio club before moving on and arriving at Parque São Jorge in 2024. Since then, he has established himself as Corinthians’ undisputed starter. The goalkeeper has 135 matches in the black-and-white shirt and has won three titles: the 2025 Copa do Brasil, the 2025 Campeonato Paulista and the 2026 Supercopa Rei.

The tendency is for Hugo to once again be among the starters this Sunday, increasing the possibility of another chapter in the well-known “ex-player rule.”

Matheuzinho also has a long connection with the opponent. The right-back joined Flamengo in 2019, initially to be part of the Under-20 squad, and was later promoted to the senior team. Before moving to Corinthians, he played 153 matches for the Rio club, with four goals and 22 assists, in addition to helping win six titles.

At Timão since February 2024, the No. 2 has 154 games, six goals and 12 assists. Like Hugo, he won the 2025 Copa do Brasil and Paulista, as well as the 2026 Supercopa Rei.

The third name is Vitinho. The forward had a lengthy spell at Flamengo after being signed in 2018. He made 215 appearances and scored 29 goals, in addition to several domestic and continental titles. After playing in Saudi football, he joined Corinthians in 2025.

For the black-and-white club, Vitinho has 38 appearances, one goal and four assists. However, the forward is currently unavailable. In July, he suffered a meniscus injury in his left knee during a training session at CT Dr. Joaquim Grava and had to undergo surgery. Before that, he was already coming off a recovery period due to a muscle problem.

Vitinho’s last appearance came on April 30, when he came on in the closing minutes of Corinthians’ 2-0 win over Peñarol in the Libertadores. Therefore, despite his history with Flamengo, he will not be available for this Sunday’s reunion.

Flamengo and Corinthians have already faced each other twice in 2026

This Sunday’s clash will be the third meeting between the teams this season, and Corinthians are still unbeaten against Flamengo this year.

The first duel took place in the Supercopa Rei, in February. At Mané Garrincha Stadium, Timão won 2-0, with goals from Gabriel Paulista and Yuri Alberto, and lifted their first title of the season.

Soon after, in March, the teams met again in the first half of the Brazilian Championship season. At Neo Química Arena, the match ended in a 1-1 draw, with Yuri Alberto scoring once again for Corinthians.

Now, the scenario is different. Flamengo are trying to stay close to the top and maintain their good run before turning their attention back to the Libertadores. Corinthians, meanwhile, need to respond in the Brasileirão while managing the squad for the showdown against Estudiantes.

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