Léo Ortiz out for Flamengo, Varela and De La Cruz doubts v Olimpia

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Coluna do Fla

·16 Juli 2026

Léo Ortiz out for Flamengo, Varela and De La Cruz doubts v Olimpia

What is Flamengo’s situation for the friendly match against Olimpia (PAR)?

Flamengo take the field this Friday (17) for their final commitment of the mid-season break. For the clash with Olimpia (PAR), which kicks off at 8:00 p.m. (Brasília time), coach Leonardo Jardim will be without Léo Ortiz. Varela and De La Cruz are still doubts.

Léo Ortiz had been integrated since the start of Flamengo’s mid-season break, but he did not play in any of the friendlies in Portugal due to recovery from a muscle injury. Even in that situation, the number 3 asked coach Leonardo Jardim to travel with his teammates to Portuguese soil.

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Throughout this entire period, Léo Ortiz was accompanied by the professionals from Flamengo’s Medical Department. Rubro-Negro’s initial idea is to leave the center back fully free of the injury so that when matches resume in the second half of the season, the defender is 100%. Because of that, the number 3 will not travel to Brasília this Friday (17). The report of the defender’s “veto” came from journalist Venê Casagrande.

WILL VARELA AND DE LA CRUZ PLAY IN FLAMENGO VS OLIMPIA?

Varela and De La Cruz are not dealing with injuries; however, they remain under the care of the club’s medical department because of the fatigue they had from the World Cup. In the national team tournament, the full-back and the midfielder played for Uruguay, who were eliminated in the group stage.

In recent days, Varela and De La Cruz have already started training at CT Ninho and, according to information gathered from people close to Flamengo’s football department, the duo responded well in training. That creates anticipation over whether the players will be included in the squad for the clash with Olimpia.

DO FLAMENGO HAVE MORE ABSENCES FOR THE MATCH AGAINST OLIMPIA?

In addition to Léo Ortiz, Flamengo will also be without Danilo, Alex Sandro, Léo Pereira, Plata, and Carrascal, who have returned from international duty. Finally, Arrascaeta and Lucas Paquetá are still recovering from injuries and are therefore also confirmed absences.

WHAT IS FLAMENGO’S PLAN FOR THE MATCH AGAINST OLIMPIA?

For the duel with Olimpia, Flamengo adopted the strategy of traveling to Brasília on the same day as the match. That way, the Rubro-Negro squad flies to the Federal District on the morning of this Friday (17) and takes the field at night. After the match ends, the delegation returns to Rio de Janeiro.

WHAT TIME IS FLAMENGO VS OLIMPIA?

The match between Flamengo and Olimpia takes place at 8:00 p.m. (Brasília time) this Friday (17), at Mané Garrincha Stadium. In short, Coluna do Fla TV, as usual, will show the details of the match with on-site coverage from Mônica Alves and João Vitor on YouTube, as well as on the website and social media.

WHAT IS THE AUTHOR’S OPINION ABOUT FLAMENGO VS OLIMPIA? – With the players called up and with Léo Ortiz absent, coach Leonardo Jardim will have another opportunity to test more players from the squad. May this mid-season break help Flamengo discover good talents who play for the under-20 team. In addition, players like Wallace Yan and Lorran will have another chance to show the coach a good performance –, said Rodrigo Lima, journalist for Coluna do Fla.

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