Who could Flamengo welcome back, and who will miss Santos clash? | OneFootball

Leonardo Jardim ‘gains’ Brazilian National Team duo and could have Plata back, but loses Arrascaeta and other players

Flamengo return to action on Thursday (08) with reinforcements in attack and key absences in the squad. Against Santos, at 7:30 p.m. (Brasília time), at Vila Belmiro, Leonardo Jardim is expected to have Pedro and Samuel Lino available. On the other hand, Arrascaeta is definitely out, and four other players are also likely to miss the match.

The match, valid for the 29th round of the Brasileirão, marks the resumption of the schedule after the FIFA international break. By then, the league leaders will have gone 18 days without playing. Their last match was a 2-1 win over Red Bull Bragantino at the Maracanã on September 20.

What reinforcements will Flamengo have against Santos?

Pedro and Samuel Lino are the main ‘new additions.’ The duo return to Ninho do Urubu this Monday (05), straight from the Brazilian National Team. Thus, the club’s plan is to have both forwards available at Vila Belmiro, according to reporting by Coluna do Fla.

Both arrive in great form. On Saturday (03), Brazil thrashed India 4-0 in Kolkata. Pedro scored one goal and provided one assist in the 61 minutes he was on the pitch. Samuel Lino, meanwhile, scored two goals in 45 minutes, his first for the Brazilian National Team.

Gonzalo Plata could also bolster the team. The Ecuadorian felt pain in his right thigh against Red Bull Bragantino and, because of that, was ultimately withdrawn from Ecuador’s national team. However, tests did not detect any injury, and the forward returned to training with the squad last Wednesday (30).

Football director admits national team duo are worn down

Football director José Boto confirmed the expectation of Pedro and Samuel Lino’s return. Even so, he acknowledged that the forwards will not arrive in peak condition. In addition, the executive practically ruled out the squad’s other two call-ups, in an interview on Thursday (01):

— Initially, (Varela and Anthony Valencia) won’t (face Santos). They’re playing very far away and won’t make it back in time. As for Pedro and Samuel Lino, we’re counting on them, they’ll arrive in time. They won’t be in the best condition, but they’ll be able to help the team in this important match — said Boto, in a statement published by Coluna do Fla.

Who will Flamengo be without against Santos?

Arrascaeta is the biggest loss. The Uruguayan fractured his left wrist on September 28, in Uruguay’s 4-1 win over South Korea in Seoul. After that, the midfielder underwent surgery in Rio de Janeiro. According to Coluna do Fla’s reporting, the expectation is that he will also miss both matches of the Libertadores semifinal.

Varela and Anthony Valencia, meanwhile, are likely absentees because of logistics. Uruguay face India on Tuesday (06), at 1 p.m. (Brasília time), in Kolkata. That means the full-back would have only two days between the friendly and the match on the São Paulo coast.

Valencia, for his part, will play with Ecuador in the third-place match of the Kirin Cup against Panama this Monday (05), starting at 3:30 a.m. (Brasília time). After that, the forward still faces the long trip from Japan to Brazil.

In the medical department, defensive midfielder Evertton Araújo remains out. The player is recovering from a grade 3 muscle injury in the adductor of his left thigh. In addition, Ayrton Lucas is also still under medical care. The full-back suffered a muscle injury in the back of his right thigh against Red Bull Bragantino, and the initial estimate pointed to about a month and a half of recovery.

How did Flamengo prepare for the match?

The squad returned on Wednesday (30), after four days off. Since then, the group trained through Saturday (03) and has Sunday (04) off. Therefore, the called-up players will have only one or two days of work before the trip.

Flamengo went into the break leading the Brasileirão, with 60 points from 28 matches. Before the ball even rolls, the clash also caused friction off the pitch. Santos even proposed moving the match forward to the 7th, at MorumBIS, but Flamengo denied in an official statement that they had refused the change.

It is worth noting that Flamengo and Santos will play the 29th round of the Brasileirão, with live coverage on Premiere via pay-per-view. After Vila Belmiro, the schedule tightens. Flamengo host Fluminense on Sunday (11) at the Maracanã. Then they visit Estudiantes (ARG) on the 15th in La Plata for the first leg of the Libertadores semifinal.

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