Palmeiras seek to end 10-year hoodoo at Flamengo's Maracanã | OneFootball

Flamengo vs Palmeiras has a few things at stake besides the three points. Abel Ferreira’s team is trying to maintain its lead in the Brasileirão and break a taboo of almost ten years without beating their Rio rival at the Maracanã, where the ball rolls this Sunday starting at 4 p.m. (Brasília time).

Palmeiras tries to break the taboo

Palmeiras and Flamengo have been engaged in a private rivalry in Brazilian football in recent years, with heavy investment enabling a certain hegemony on the national and continental stage. The clubs have met in two finals over the past five years, with two trophies going to Palmeiras: the Libertadores (2021) and the Supercopa (2023).

In the recent head-to-head, however, the Rubro-Negro holds a certain advantage. In the last ten games, there have been three Flamengo wins, two for Palmeiras, and five draws. Verdão’s last win was in August 2024, when they won the second leg of the Copa do Brasil round of 16 but were eliminated on aggregate.

Considering only games at the Maracanã, Palmeiras haven’t beaten their rival there since 2015. The last time the São Paulo side won at the venue was in December 2015, in the final round of that year’s Brasileirão: 2–1, with goals by Dudu and Vitor Hugo for Verdão, and Pará for the Rio side. Since then, there have been five Flamengo wins and four draws.

“A challenge for us,” Abel Ferreira forecasts a “decider”

Palmeiras come in confident, on a four-game winning streak, with the last two being thrashings of Juventude and Red Bull Bragantino, 4–1 and 5–1, respectively. Coach Abel Ferreira, however, urged keeping feet on the ground before the decisive clash with Flamengo.

“It’s about handling things with balance at all times, 24/7. When things are going well, cool it down, keep balance, because we weren’t bad when people said so, nor are we the best in the world. Feet on the ground, same process, same analysis, training, and we’ll be ready for the next game. Without a doubt, it’s an important match; Palmeiras haven’t won there in ten years. Another challenge for us, it comes when it has to, and we’re going to prepare for the game,” projected Abel Ferreira.

Palmeiras’ situation in the Brasileirão

Palmeiras take the field with the lead secured. The Alviverde have 61 points, three more than Flamengo, the runners-up. Even in case of defeat, Verdão stay ahead because they have two more wins than their rivals. If they win, the gap to second place extends to six points.

See the last Flamengo vs Palmeiras at the Maracanã:

Flamengo 1–1 Palmeiras (Brasileirão 2024) Flamengo 2–0 Palmeiras (Copa do Brasil 2024) Flamengo 3–0 Palmeiras (Brasileirão 2023) Flamengo 0–0 Palmeiras (Brasileirão 2022) Flamengo 1–0 Palmeiras (Brasileirão 2021) Flamengo 2–0 Palmeiras (Brasileirão 2020) Flamengo 3–0 Palmeiras (Brasileirão 2019) Flamengo 1–1 Palmeiras (Brasileirão 2018) Flamengo 2–2 Palmeiras (Brasileirão 2017)

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