Santos boss hails Flamengo clash: “It has all the makings of a cracker” | OneFootball

Riding a five-match winning streak in the Brasileirão, Santos host the leaders on Thursday (8) at Vila Belmiro and could have Neymar back

Coach Cuca is already looking ahead to Flamengo. Right after the 2-1 win over São Paulo this Friday (02) at MorumBIS, the Santos manager described the clash with the Brasileirão leaders as a “great game.” The teams meet on Thursday (08) at 7:30 p.m. (Brasília time) at Vila Belmiro in the 29th round.

Previewing the matchup, Cuca highlighted the importance of the fixture and called for careful preparation from the squad:

The comment reflects the strong form of the São Paulo side. With the comeback win in the derby, Santos reached their fifth straight victory in the competition. As a result, they climbed to seventh place with 41 points. Flamengo, in turn, lead with 60 points from 28 matches, three more than Palmeiras.

Gabigol delivers, and Coutinho debuts at MorumBIS

The derby was valid for the 21st round and had been postponed. São Paulo opened the scoring in the 35th minute of the first half. After a VAR review, Luciano converted the penalty won by Ryan Francisco.

The Tricolor’s lead, however, did not last long. Soon after, Escobar crossed from the left and Gabigol equalized with a header. After halftime, Cuca brought on Philippe Coutinho, who made his debut for Santos. Shortly afterward, the midfielder provided the pass on the counterattack that ended with Gabigol’s second goal.

With the two goals, the striker reached 13 goals in the Brasileirão. In addition, goalkeeper Diógenes secured the result with important saves in the final minutes.

Flamengo fans will recognize several names in Cuca’s team. After all, Gabigol, Everton Cebolinha, Willian Arão, and Rodinei all started.

Neymar could return against Flamengo

Santos could also receive a major boost for Thursday. Neymar is in the final stage of his physical recovery and did not face São Paulo. Even so, the club is working to have the No. 10 available against Flamengo, possibly for a few minutes.

On Flamengo’s side, the situation is different. Arrascaeta fractured his left wrist in a Uruguay friendly and underwent surgery on Thursday (1st). Therefore, the midfielder is a confirmed absentee. Evertton Araújo also remains out while recovering from a grade 3 muscle injury in the adductor of his left thigh.

Among the called-up players, football director José Boto confirmed Pedro and Samuel Lino for Vila Belmiro. On the other hand, he described Varela and Anthony Valencia as likely absences, since both are playing for their national teams close to the round.

Brasileirão’s best away side returns after 18 days

Flamengo have not played since September 20, when they beat Red Bull Bragantino 2-1 at the Maracanã. Since then, Leonardo Jardim’s squad have used the FIFA international break to train at Ninho do Urubu.

Even with the pause, the team arrives in Baixada Santista with the best away record in the competition. In 14 away matches, they have collected 27 points, with 8 wins, 3 draws, and 3 defeats.

In the first half of the season, Rubro-Negro beat Santos 3-1, coming from behind, on April 5 at the Maracanã. On that occasion, Lautaro Díaz opened the scoring for the São Paulo side. Later, Pedro, Jorginho from the penalty spot, and Lucas Paquetá sealed the win.

Before kickoff, the matchup also created some noise off the pitch. Santos proposed moving the match forward to Wednesday (7) at MorumBIS. However, Flamengo said in an official statement that they had not rejected the request. So the match remains scheduled for Vila Belmiro, with broadcast on Premiere.

After the trip, Flamengo’s schedule gets tighter. Flamengo host Fluminense on Sunday (11) at the Maracanã. Then they visit Estudiantes (ARG) on Thursday (15) in La Plata for the first leg of the Copa Libertadores semifinal.

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