Fluminense step up preparations to face Vasco in the Carioca semi-final | OneFootball

This Thursday, Fluminense continued its preparation at the Carlos Castilho Training Center for the classic match against Vasco, valid for the semifinals of the Campeonato Carioca. The match will be played this Sunday at the Nilton Santos Stadium. The winner of the confrontation will decide the state title against the winner of the duel between Madureira and Flamengo.

The Tricolor is having a good season and is unbeaten in eight games, with seven wins and one draw, considering matches from the Carioca and the Brazilian Championship Série A. In the national tournament, the team led by Zubeldía won the classic against Botafogo 1-0 in the last round, reaching seven points and occupying fourth place.

Zubeldía exercises caution

Regarding the Carioca classic, Zubeldía exercised caution when asked if he saw Fluminense as the favorite. The coach also stated that the confrontation in the Carioca is different from the duel in the Copa do Brasil semifinals, when Vasco eliminated Flu in penalties.

“No (I don't see Fluminense as the favorite). I always want my team to win. We are focused on ourselves. To reach the final, we have to overcome Vasco. We will do our best to advance, which is what we want,” he said.

“They are different matches. It's a classic. It's 180 minutes again, we can play a good match as we have been doing. They are different contexts. I feel that the team has been responding despite the contexts. In the first game, I think we will play here. We will try to play the first minutes very well and then we will see the other 90,” he added.

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Details of Vasco vs Fluminense

Competition: Campeonato Carioca (semifinals) Date: February 22, 2026 (Sunday) Time: 6 PM (Brasília time) Location: Nilton Santos, in Rio de Janeiro (RJ)

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