Gerson, Leonardo Jardim and more: Flamengo v Cruzeiro in Libertadores | OneFootball

Flamengo and Cruzeiro battle for a spot in the Libertadores quarterfinals

Flamengo and Cruzeiro will face each other in the round of 16 of the Libertadores. The matchup was decided this Friday (29), after the draw held by Conmebol. The clash will also feature some interesting reunions.

That is because Gerson, Fabrício Bruno and Matheus Cunha will reunite with the Flamengo fans, while Leonardo Jardim is getting ready to face Cruzeiro again. So, the match promises to be memorable for both the players and the coach.

How did Gerson leave Flamengo?

Captain and one of Flamengo’s key players, Gerson was marked by a turbulent departure from the club. That is because, shortly after renewing his contract, the midfielder accepted an offer to wear the Zenit (RUS) shirt. As a result, the player ‘lost points’ with the Rubro-Negro fans.

In addition, Fabrício Bruno left Flamengo in January 2025, after losing space in Filipe Luís’ team. Lastly, Matheus Cunha said goodbye to Fla at the start of this year, after accepting Cruzeiro’s offer. Although he arrived to be the second-choice goalkeeper, the player became the starter after Cássio’s injury, but is currently sidelined with an injury and has lost his place to Otávio.

Has Leonardo Jardim already coached Cruzeiro?

Yes! Now Flamengo’s coach, Leonardo Jardim was in charge of Cruzeiro between February and December 2025. Although he was not fired, the Portuguese coach asked to terminate his contract because he needed to deal with personal matters. As a result, after taking over Mengão, the Minas Gerais fans were upset with the manager.

When will the Libertadores round of 16 matches take place?

The world football calendar will have a break of approximately two months, because of the World Cup. Therefore, the Libertadores round of 16 is scheduled to take place between August 11 and 20, with the first leg at Mineirão and the decisive match at the Maracanã.

What is Flamengo’s next match?

Meanwhile, Flamengo remain focused on their next commitment of 2026. This Saturday (30), the Rubro-Negro face Coritiba at 4:00 p.m. (Brasília time), at the Maracanã, in the 18th round of the Brasileirão.

So, as tradition dictates, Coluna do Fla will bring all the details of the match between Flamengo and Coritiba through YouTube, the website and social media. However, SporTV (cable channel) and Premiere (pay-per-view) will broadcast the Brasileirão match.

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