Fabricio, Cruzeiro hero, worried about Flamengo in the Libertadores

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Coluna do Fla

·16 de julho de 2026

Fabricio, Cruzeiro hero, worried about Flamengo in the Libertadores

Flamengo and Cruzeiro meet in the Copa Libertadores round of 16

Brazilian football has barely returned and Flamengo already has an opponent bracing for trouble. That is because former player Fabricio, a Cruzeiro idol, is worried about Lucas Romero’s absence. The defensive midfielder will not be available for the Copa Libertadores round of 16, which takes place in August.

– I don’t see any other players who can do that job either. You’re going to have to improvise no matter what. Lucas Silva himself, if he plays there, would be playing out of position. Murilo maybe, but he’s still a youth player –, said the former defensive midfielder, who added:

Vídeos OneFootball

– The focus really is on Flamengo, up front. If they have to improvise, they’ll need the team game even more, right, from the players. The team will have to make an even bigger sacrifice, but in certain matches that happens, it’s part of the game –, Fabricio told Rádio Itatiaia.

What happened to Lucas Romero?

Coach Artur Jorge will need to find a way to replace the midfielder in two upcoming matches. That is because Romero is suspended against Internacional on Wednesday (22), and against Mengão on August 12.

Both suspensions come from the fact that the Argentine from Cruzeiro picked up three yellow cards in the Brasileirão, and also did the same in the Libertadores group stage. Therefore, the midfielder will be available for the second leg at the Maracanã.

Who will Cruzeiro use as his replacement?

Artur Jorge is expected to choose Matheus Henrique as the holding midfielder in place of Lucas Romero. That way, Cruzeiro’s midfield will likely be completed by Matheus Pereira and Gerson, formerly of Flamengo.

When do Flamengo and Cruzeiro play?

The first leg of the Copa Libertadores round of 16 between Flamengo and Cruzeiro will be played at 9:30 p.m. (Brasília time) on August 12 at Mineirão. On the 19th of the same month, the teams will play the return leg at the Maracanã.

What is the author’s opinion about Fabricio’s concern?

It’s curious that this time Fabricio didn’t revive his own line: ‘Ronaldinho? CBF? Cruzeiro has to worry about other things.’ It must be because of the match against Vasco in the sixth round of this year’s Brasileirão,” said João Vítor Reis of Coluna do Fla, who added: The teams drew 3-3 at Mineirão, in a match where two penalties in Vasco’s favor were not given and a Cruzeiro player escaped a red card. But of course Fabricio stayed very quiet about the mistakes that benefited the former midfielder’s team,” he opined.

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