Léo Pereira out of Flamengo clash with Cruzeiro in Brasileirão | OneFootball

Center back undergoes workload management and did not travel to Belo Horizonte

Although Flamengo announced that Léo Pereira was included in the squad for this Saturday’s (22) match against Cruzeiro, the center back did not travel to Belo Horizonte. According to reporting by Coluna do Fla journalists Rock Hudson and Rodrigo Lima, the absence of the No. 4 was confirmed by people who are with the team daily at the Ninho do Urubu Training Center.

The decision was made in the final minutes of training this Friday (21), so Flamengo’s communications staff did not have time to remove Léo Pereira’s name from the graphic posted on social media. However, the player is not injured.

As a precaution, Flamengo decided not to take Léo Pereira to Minas Gerais due to workload management. As a result, Danilo and Léo Ortiz are expected to form the center-back pairing against Cruzeiro in a match valid for the 24th round of the Brazilian Championship.

Without Léo Pereira, coach Leonardo Jardim included young João Victor, who had been with the under-20 squad. It is important to note that Flamengo will also be without center back Vitão, who remains under the care of the medical department as he recovers from injury. 

WHAT TIME IS THE FLAMENGO VS. CRUZEIRO MATCH?

The ball starts rolling for Flamengo and Cruzeiro at Mineirão at 8:30 PM Brasília time. The match will be broadcast exclusively on Prime Video via streaming. However, the best and most rubro-negro coverage is from Coluna do Fla, with Rock and Rodrigo reporting directly from the stadium.

The match could put Flamengo at the top of the Brasileirão this Saturday (22). That’s because the current leader, Palmeiras, only faces Vasco on Sunday (23) in São Paulo. In other words, if Mengão wins in Minas Gerais, they will draw level on points with the São Paulo team but take first place on tiebreakers. 

WHAT IS THE AUTHOR’S OPINION?

— Léo Pereira played a great match against Cruzeiro on Wednesday, and it was a game that took a lot out of the squad. It’s better for coach Leonardo Jardim to rest the player at this moment to avoid an injury in the future. Besides, the squad has players of the same level on the bench —, began Pedro Paulo Catonho, journalist for Coluna do Fla.

— Now it remains to be seen who will play on the left side of the defense. In the matches Danilo and Ortiz have played together, No. 3 has lined up on the left. They are top-level players and will handle it with ease to help Flamengo earn three more points on the road toward the Brasileirão title —, Pedro added.

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