Mauricio praises Palmeiras form, targets Flamengo rivalry clash | OneFootball

Mauricio is having, in 2025, his first full season wearing the Palmeiras shirt. The attacking midfielder has had ups and downs, but recently hit an impressive mark: he completed the famous ‘double-double’, reaching double digits in both goals and assists.

Wearing number 18, he has 10 goals and 11 assists for the Verdão this season. With these numbers, he is not only the team’s top assist provider of the year, but also ranks among the top scorers — trailing only Flaco López, Vitor Roque, and Estêvão (who has already left the club).

Mauricio lost some ground at Palmeiras in recent months, especially after the arrival of Andreas Pereira and the success of the “Flaco-Roque” strike duo. In the last two matches, however, the midfielder returned to the starting lineup and showed he can contribute — a lot — to the Verdão.

The midfielder celebrated the opportunities he received in recent days and valued the good moment he’s experiencing. He also said he’s eager for the rest of the season — Verdão is competing for both the Brazilian Championship and the Libertadores.

“I’m very happy [with my moment]. Being able to be on the field is always very good, especially because I’m helping my teammates, helping the club, it’s always very important. I’m very happy to also be able to help individually with numbers that are always important. But I’m happy with what we’ve been doing, with what we’ve been creating, with the games we’ve played so far. Very anxious as well for what lies ahead,” he celebrated in an interview with the club’s official channel.

Mauricio is coming off a run of three matches with goal involvements. Against São Paulo, for example, he came off the bench and changed the game, contributing assists for goals by Flaco López and Vitor Roque. He then delivered two more assists against Juventude and Red Bull Bragantino, isolating himself as the team’s top assist provider of the year.

What to expect from the clash against Flamengo?

Mauricio’s Palmeiras faces a major challenge this Sunday. The Verdão goes head-to-head with Flamengo at 4 p.m. (Brasília time), at the Maracanã, for the 29th round of the Brazilian Championship. The atmosphere is one of a decisive match, as it will be a duel between leader and runner-up.

Mauricio highlighted the difficulty of the matchup, as Flamengo boasts both the best defense and best attack in the competition. He also mentioned the growing rivalry between the teams since 2019, with fierce title battles in the Libertadores, Supercopa do Brasil, and Brasileirão.

“We see it as a very difficult match. Flamengo has been competing for titles with Palmeiras for a few years now, so there’s already this rivalry from always being in the competitions. We approach it as a tough game, and as a game in which we have an opportunity to open up an important lead in the Brasileirão,” Mauricio projected.

Decision atmosphere: the state of the matchup

Palmeiras is the leader of the Brazilian Championship, alone, with 61 points. The team coached by Abel Ferreira won its last two matches, including a rescheduled fixture, and took the lead from Flamengo. The Rubro-Negro is the runner-up, with 58 points.

The match is being treated as an early “final” of the Brasileirão. However, Verdão’s lead is guaranteed for at least another round. If they lose, the São Paulo side remains on top because they have two more wins than the Rio team. If they win, they extend their lead at the top.

Palmeiras’ upcoming matches

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