Flamengo v Palmeiras: Veiga eyes start against favourite rivals | OneFootball

On the verge of regaining his starting position at Palmeiras, Raphael Veiga faces a well-known rival this weekend: Flamengo. The Verdão visits the Rio de Janeiro rival this Sunday at 4 PM (Brasília time) at Maracanã, in an important match for the 29th round of the Brazilian Championship.

Veiga has experienced ups and downs at Palmeiras this season. The number 23 lost his place after the arrival of new reinforcements but is gradually regaining his starting position following Evangelista's absence in midfield. Possibly starting on Sunday, he aims to rediscover his decision-making power against his second biggest victim of his career.

Midfielder seizes opportunity and regains space

At the end of September, coach Abel Ferreira suffered a significant setback in the Palmeiras squad. Lucas Evangelista ruptured the tendon in his right thigh and had to undergo surgery. Due to this absence, a gap opened up in the alviverde midfield.

The coach's strategy was to move Andreas Pereira back to play alongside Aníbal Moreno, which opened up space for another forward or attacking midfielder in the starting lineup. It was then that the coach decided to bet on the return of Raphael Veiga to the starting team of Palmeiras.

The midfielder faced competition from Maurício, Facundo Torres, and also Ramón Sosa. However, Abel Ferreira decided to trust Veiga, who completed four consecutive matches as a starter last Wednesday – something that hadn't happened since March this year.

In this period, the alviverde player contributed with one goal and one assist. Both contributions were against Juventude, in a delayed match of the 12th round of the Brasileirão. Despite the modest numbers, the number 23 has been delivering consistent performances.

It remains to be seen whether Veiga will be maintained in the starting lineup against Flamengo. This is because the athlete faces strong competition from Maurício, who also showed excellent recent performance – with four assists in the last three games for Verdão.

Flamengo is one of Veiga's favorite victims

Raphael Veiga considers Flamengo one of the biggest victims of his career at Palmeiras. The alviverde midfielder has proven decisive against the Rubro-Negro and has scored in two finals against the Rio team, aiming to repeat the scenario in this Sunday's decisive match.

Verdão's number 23 has scored against Flamengo on six occasions, just like against Santos. The biggest victims of Veiga's career at the club are Grêmio and São Paulo, who have conceded seven goals from the midfielder.

Veiga's six goals against Flamengo came on different occasions. Three of them were even more special as they ended with titles for Verdão. In 2021, he opened the scoring for Verdão in the Libertadores final. Two years later, he scored twice in the Supercopa Rei victory.

The goals in 2023 were Veiga's last against Flamengo. Since then, the midfielder has played seven more matches, five as a starter, but has failed to score. This Sunday, he aims to end this drought and punish the Rubro-Negro rival once again.

Veiga's numbers this season

Decision atmosphere: the match situation

Palmeiras is the leader of the Brazilian Championship, standing alone with 61 points. The team led by coach Abel Ferreira won its last two games, including a delayed match, and took the lead from Flamengo. The Rubro-Negro is the runner-up with 58 points.

The match is considered a “pre-final” of the Brasileirão. However, Verdão has its leadership guaranteed for at least one more round. If they lose, the São Paulo team remains at the top because they have two more victories than the Rio team. If they win, they extend their lead.

Upcoming Palmeiras matches

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