Zubeldia on Lucho Acosta’s return: “He’ll be important for us”

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·4 May 2026

Zubeldia on Lucho Acosta’s return: “He’ll be important for us”

Fluminense may have Lucho Acosta back for the clash against Independiente Rivadavia in the Copa Libertadores. Acosta, who has not played since suffering an injury in the Fla-Flu on April 12, traveled with the squad to Porto Alegre and was included in the matchday list, but was ultimately left out with an eye on the midweek showdown, since the team will travel straight from Porto Alegre to Argentina.

Fluminense need an away win to stay alive in the race for qualification to the Copa Libertadores round of 16 without depending on other results. Their opponent beat Flu at the Maracanã and has a perfect record in the competition. Lucho Acosta, who was not available for the match in Rio de Janeiro, is expected to return with limited minutes after 22 days out. The Argentine midfielder should start on the bench and play no more than 30 minutes.

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After the match against Internacional, Zubeldia spoke briefly about the current situation and the return of players:

We are clear that these are different competitions. We had been doing well in the Brasileirão, we wanted to win and get a good result. We didn’t do things well, and the opponent hit us at the right moment. The cup match is decisive and, as far as what depends on us, qualification depends on us. There are three matches, and if we get the wins, qualification will come. Besides that, we will keep pursuing our objective and try to stay as high up as possible in the Brasileirão. There is also the issue of the schedule, but we are managing it. As for Nonato, it was important for him to play 25, 30 minutes, because Bernal is suspended and Martinelli is injured. As for Lucho, Lucho is training. He will have two more training sessions before the match against Rivadavia and, of course, he will be more than important for us. Apparently he is doing well with his injury, he just needs training continuity.”

The Rio Tricolor sit bottom of Libertadores Group C with just 1 point, and will look to end Rivadavia’s unbeaten run this Wednesday (06), at 9:30 p.m., at Malvinas Argentinas Stadium.

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