Fluminense v Vasco in the Carioca: probable line-ups and where to watch | OneFootball

The first finalist of the 2026 Cariocão will be decided on Sunday night. Fluminense and Vasco face off in the second leg of the Rio State Championship semifinals at Maracanã, starting at 6 p.m. (Brasília time).

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Where to watch

This Sunday’s match between Fluminense and Vasco will be broadcast live on Globo, SporTV, and Premiere.

Team news

Fluminense took the lead by winning the first match 1-0 last Sunday at Nilton Santos. Vasco’s defeat led to the dismissal of coach Fernando Diniz. Bruno Lazaroni has taken over as interim coach.

In his first match in charge, last Thursday, Lazaroni lost to Neymar’s Santos 2-1 at Vila Belmiro in the Brasileirão. The day before, Flu faced Palmeiras with a mixed squad and also lost by the same score.

Vasco’s situation, however, is worrying. The “Gigante da Colina” matched its worst starts in the Brazilian Championship, earning only one point in the first four rounds. This also happened in 2004 and 2019.

Both teams are expected to field lineups similar to last Sunday’s. For Vasco, Colombian Marino Hinestroza could take Nuno Moreira’s spot in attack, and defender Cuesta may return in place of Saldivia.

The main change for Tricolor will be the absence of coach Luis Zubeldía on the sidelines. Sent off in the first leg, he will be replaced by assistant Maxi Cuberas. Injured, Nonato and Bernal are out of the match.

A draw by any score puts Flu in the final. Vasco needs to win by two goals in regular time to advance. A Vasco win by one goal will take the decision to penalties.

In the other semifinal, Flamengo is close to the final after beating Madureira 3-0. The second leg will decide the spot on Monday night.

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Probable lineups

VASCO: Léo Jardim, Paulo Henrique, Cuesta, Robert Renan and Lucas Piton; Cauan Barros, Thiago Mendes and Johan Rojas; Marino Hinestroza (Nuno Moreira), Andrés Gómez and Cláudio Spinelli Coach: Bruno Lazaroni (interim)

FLUMINENSE: Fábio, Samuel Xavier, Jemmes, Freytes and Renê; Martinelli, Hércules and Lucho Acosta; Canobbio, Kevin Serna and John Kennedy Coach: Maxi Cuberas (assistant)

Refereeing

MATCH DETAILS

Matchup: FLUMINENSE vs VASCO DA GAMA Competition: Campeonato Carioca | Semifinal (second leg) Venue: Maracanã, Rio de Janeiro (RJ) Date: Sunday, March 1, 2026 Time: 6 p.m. (Brasília time) Referee: Wagner do Nascimento Magalhães Assistants: Daniel de Oliveira Alves Pereira and Gustavo Mota Correia VAR: Rodrigo Carvalhaes de Miranda

*By Gazeta Press 

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