Has Royal replaced Varela? Filipe Luís on Flamengo’s full-back race | OneFootball

Emerson Royal has earned a spot in the starting lineup

Some Flamengo fans are surprised by the run of games Emerson Royal has had in the team’s starting lineup. After all, Varela has been one of the team’s standouts this year. When asked about who owns the position, Filipe Luís revealed something that few knew about the Uruguayan.

— Everyone knows how important Varela is to the team. Emerson too. They are two players who understand very well what I want, and with the main characteristic I expect from them, which is to defend well — said Filipe Luís.

— Emerson arrived, had a brief period of fluctuation with an ankle injury, but now we’re seeing him at a very high level. His game today (Sunday) was excellent, and so was the match against Botafogo. Varela had a minor injury when he returned from Uruguay, kept playing through the pain, and he is fundamental to this internal competition between the two — he added.

WHO HAS BEEN PLAYING MORE?

Emerson Royal took over the starting spot against Bahia, in the third-to-last round of the Brasileirão. Afterwards, the former Milan (ITA) player started the matches against Botafogo and Palmeiras, playing the full 90 minutes in all three games. On the other hand, Varela hasn’t played since the draw with Cruzeiro, on October 2.

WHO WILL PLAY AGAINST RACING?

Filipe Luís will decide, in Tuesday’s (21st) training session, who will start on Wednesday (22nd), in the ‘decisive’ match between Flamengo and Racing (ARG). The match kicks off at 9:30 p.m. (Brasília time), at Maracanã, for the semifinal of the Copa Libertadores da América.

If Mengão is on the field, there’s full coverage by Coluna do Fla, on the website, social media, and YouTube. With reporters at Maracanã, our team will bring you all the information about the match. In addition, Globo (broadcast TV) and ESPN (cable channel) will air the game.

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