Léo Ortiz on Arrascaeta blow, ‘war with Estudiantes’ and break

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·1 October 2026

Léo Ortiz on Arrascaeta blow, ‘war with Estudiantes’ and break

Léo Ortiz gave an interview this Thursday (01) at Ninho do Urubu

After training this Thursday (01), Saúl, Joaquín Freitas and Léo Ortiz spoke to the press at Ninho do Urubu. The center back looked ahead to the clashes with Estudiantes (ARG) in the Libertadores, highlighted the importance of the FIFA international break, and lamented Arrascaeta’s injury.

— Of course we’re very sad because of the moment he (Arrascaeta) was having, because of how important he is to the group, not only on the pitch. Off the pitch, he’ll still be able to help us with the leadership he shows every day. But of course we lose a great player —, said Léo Ortiz.

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— But last year, I was out for a large part of it, Pedro too, and others stepped up and took over those roles. They were just as important as the ones who had been playing. So I’m sure we have a very strong squad that will get the job done even with these losses —, added the defender.

REST OF THE SEASON

Léo Ortiz also spoke about Flamengo’s goals for the season. Leaders of the Brasileirão, the Rubro-Negro are three points ahead of Palmeiras. In addition, there are two battles with Estudiantes (ARG) for a place in the Copa Libertadores final.

— Today the goal is to hold on to this lead, maybe even extend it. We know it’s very difficult, I always say the gap between Flamengo and Palmeiras at the top is very small. We can’t leave any openings, we can’t think wins will come naturally. We have to go after them, and in the Libertadores we know the two matches we have ahead of us —, said Ortiz.

— Against Estudiantes, we have to go in with the right mentality because especially the first match will be very, very difficult, a very tough game. We’ve already experienced that atmosphere in the past and managed to get through, but in a very tight match. This time allows us to keep working on our confidence, but also clear our heads and gives us more energy, because we know this final stretch of the championship will be decisive — he added.

Still speaking to reporters, Léo Ortiz highlighted the importance of the FIFA international break at this stage of the season and went deeper in his analysis of Estudiantes. The defender spoke mainly about Guido Carrillo, the center forward and the target of practically every ball from the La Plata side.

FIFA INTERNATIONAL BREAK

“This time is important to clear our heads a little in the middle of so many decisive matches we had over the last month and will have in the coming ones. So it’s important to freshen up mentally, and also physically recover those who had been playing a lot. It’s also important for working on some ideas that end up getting lost because of the number of matches and the fact that you can’t train, so it matters tactically as well. And now it’s about focusing on this run we have ahead, knowing there will be many decisive matches, and I’m sure we’ll be very well prepared.”

MORE ON ESTUDIANTES

“They more or less know how we play already, because of the number of times we’ve faced each other, and we also know them very well, individually, the players too, because they don’t change that much, right? The foundation of their team also revolves a lot around the center forward, Carrillo, who already played last year and also played against us this year. A lot of their game goes through getting the first ball up to him, because he’s a very strong guy, so we have to be very focused on that. I think that’s the lesson we’ve learned, because we suffered a bit against them last year in the match there. But it will be a different atmosphere too, because that game there was more conditioned by the fact that we had won at home, so it was a different context, right? This year we go there for the first match and then decide it at home, so I think they may behave a little differently from last year. But it’s a team that revolves a lot around him, he’s a real focal point for them. They have tall players and rely heavily on set pieces, so these are things we have to work on during these weeks and stay very concentrated on, because those details make a huge difference in a knockout match.”

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