Lucas Evangelista previews Palmeiras v River Plate: "It'll be like a final" | OneFootball

This Monday, before the clash against River Plate in the first leg of the Libertadores quarterfinals, midfielder Lucas Evangelista highlighted the strength of Palmeiras in matches in the continental competition. The match is scheduled for this Wednesday at 9:30 p.m. (Brasília time), at the Monumental de Núñez Stadium in Buenos Aires, Argentina.

“From the outside, I always saw Palmeiras as a team that transforms in the Libertadores. Of course, in other competitions as well, because they are always fighting for and winning titles. But in the short time I’ve been here, I see how important this tournament is for Palmeiras, it has a special flavor, something extra,” he said.

Evangelista revealed that after the 4-1 rout over Internacional last Saturday in the Brasileirão, goalkeeper Weverton motivated the players for the clash against the Argentine team.

“We even talked after the game against Inter. Weverton told us to focus, to pay the price, that this is a time for sacrifice and giving things up, because in the Libertadores there are only five games left, five finals that we have in our minds. The next game is already a final and, God willing, we’ll get a positive result and then seal it with another win at home,” he continued.

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The player mentioned the strength of River Plate and the atmosphere created by the Argentine fans in the stands.

“The greatness of River, their posture at home, the atmosphere that is created when they play at home, but I usually say that we are even privileged to be playing this match, many players would like to be in our place, so I think we have to look at this match as an opportunity and a privilege,” he analyzed.

The scorer of Palmeiras’ third goal against Internacional, Lucas Evangelista also valued the positive result and made a point of highlighting the intensity of the squad on the field.

“I was very happy with the win over Inter. I even commented afterwards with some players that the victory was very important, but the main thing was the attitude we had of starting the game at a very high intensity. We always say that when we play at home, we have to impose this rhythm to send a message right away about what we want from the game, which is the three points. So I was very happy with the win, but especially with the team’s attitude,” he emphasized.

With the victory, Palmeiras reached 46 points and continues in pursuit of leaders Flamengo. The team from Rio, with one more match played, beat Juventude and reached 50 points.

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