Vasco suffer two absences ahead of Flamengo clash | OneFootball

Coach Fernando Diniz may have trouble setting up Vasco for Sunday's classic match against Flamengo at Maracanã, for the Brazilian Championship. Lucas Piton and Tchê Tchê are still undergoing treatment in the medical department and are unlikely to be available.

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Lucas Piton, from Vasco, against Juventude — Photo: Luiz Erbes/AGIF

The left-back suffered a calf injury and is practically out of the match. The midfielder, who started feeling pain after the match against Botafogo, had no injury detected, but will be reassessed by the end of the week. The chance of starting the game is small.

If the absences are confirmed, the tendency is for Puma to continue at left-back and Hugo Moura to return to the starting midfield, after having played as an improvised defender for much of the season.

Debate in the attack: Should Vegetti be a starter?

In addition to the absentees, Diniz is dealing with an offensive dilemma. The starting position of Pablo Vegetti has been questioned by fans after lackluster performances against Botafogo and Ceará. Despite being Vasco's top scorer this season (24 goals) and the third highest scorer in the Brasileirão (12), the Argentine has only scored once in eight classics against Flamengo.

The alternatives include David, Andrés Gómez, and Matheus França. In the historic 6-0 win over Santos, David was chosen and the formation worked well, but the same strategy failed against Corinthians, in a 4-2 defeat.

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Tchê Tchê feels pain and is substituted in Botafogo x Vasco — Photo: Thiago Ribeiro/AGIF

This Sunday's classic promises to test not only the strength of Diniz's squad, but also the patience of the fans regarding the choices in the attack.

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