Léo Pereira on Palmeiras clash: "Ready for anything" | OneFootball

If there's someone eagerly awaiting the Libertadores final, it's Léo Pereira. Absent from the 2021 decision between Flamengo and Palmeiras, the red-black defender will this time be able to contribute to his team on the field and has adopted a confident tone on the eve of the most important match in recent times, which takes place this Saturday at 6 pm (Brasília time) at the Monumental in Lima, Peru.

“For me, the game is very much about believing. We have a lot of faith in the game plan that Filipe has put in place since he took over. We arrive very strong, with a very strong consistency throughout the season. We are prepared for any scenario, which speaks volumes about the team's mentality, about consistency. These are the two factors that are important beyond the tactical, physical, and technical. Being aligned mentally will be very important to take advantage of any detail the opponent gives during the match,” said Léo Pereira.

In 2021, Léo Pereira could not participate in the final in Montevideo, Uruguay, because he received a two-game suspension from Conmebol after being sent off in the semifinal against Barcelona de Guayaquil due to an elbowing incident. At the time, he was also fined 4,000 dollars (a little over R$ 20,000 at the time).

“Unfortunately, something terrible happened in that semifinal, I harmed the team and was left out of the final. I was punished in that way, receiving a two-game suspension. Watching from the outside was terrible for me given the context, for everything that final represented as well, not being able to be on the field or the bench to help my teammates, but from the stands, I tried to give my support to everyone on the field, in the locker room as well. What I learned from that final was that the two best teams made it, and we perhaps deserved the victory in regular time, but we know that football has many variables and, unfortunately, the victory went to Palmeiras,” he continued.

Léo Pereira also commented on the stance Flamengo will need to adopt in this Saturday's match if they want to return to Brazil with the much-dreamed-of fourth Libertadores title, thus isolating themselves as the most successful Brazilian club in the continental tournament.

“Several factors come into play in a final: physical, mental, tactical... within the adrenaline that is the game, we have to find balance. We have a very offensive team from our defensive build-up, we always want to bring the ball with quality to the attack so that things are easier for our forwards, but we have to have balance, know how to separate the moments of the game and keep a calm head to perform what was asked of us. We are aware of the quality of Palmeiras' team, their counterattack, and we will be careful in those moments, especially when we have the ball,” concluded the Flamengo defender.

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