The big day has arrived. This Good Friday, Maracanãzinho opens its doors to the Basketball Champions League Americas (BCLA) Final Four, bringing together the four best basketball teams on the continent. Flamengo, the host team for the decisive stage, faces Franca at 21:10 PM, eyeing a spot in the competition's final. Earlier, at 18:10 PM, Boca Juniors and Instituto Córdoba, both from Argentina, face off in the other semifinal. The tournament will have its grand final on Saturday (19), at 21:10 pm. At 17:10 pm, on the same day, the third place match will be held. FlamengoTV and SporTV will broadcast the matches.

On Thursday, coaches and captains of the four teams held a press conference to kick off the weekend's competitions. Sergio Hernández and Franco Balbi spoke for Flamengo.

"I'm very happy to be in this situation once again. I played in the first Liga de las Américas in 2008. Playing against Franca, an opponent with so much history, is a very difficult but exciting challenge. I enjoy playing under that pressure. On the other side, there are two Argentine teams that I know very well. It's a very special Final Four for me," said Sergio.

Balbi sees the entire season's preparation culminating in this moment. "The expectations are huge. We've been preparing all year for this kind of moment. We've been doing a good job. Now it's time to put it into practice, show it on the court. Do our best to secure another continental final for Flamengo. It won't be easy, but we're ready for the challenge."

Watch the press conference in full:

Red-black retrospective and campaign in the BCLA

With a squad accustomed to moments like this and a remarkable run throughout the competition, Flamengo arrives at the Final Four in high spirits: With eight matches and seven wins so far, the red-and-black team boasts the best attack in the BCLA, averaging 91.6 points per game, the best three-point percentage (39.1%), the best point difference (+/-) and the highest efficiency per game. One of the team's key players is point guard Alexey Borges, who leads the competition in assists (8.2 per game) and efficiency (21.7 average) and is also the red-and-black team's top scorer with 14 points per game.

Flamengo boasts a long tradition in continental competition. They are the only team to have competed in all six BCLA editions, finishing first in their respective groups in each. This is the fifth time the Red-Blacks have reached the semifinals, having won BCLA 2 and finished runner-up in editions 1, 4, and 5. In total, they have played 53 matches in the competition's history, winning 44. The only time they were eliminated before the semifinals was precisely when the tournament reached its final stretch in Rio de Janeiro, in the "Final Eight" format. Now, back home, the club has the chance to rewrite that history.

This season, Flamengo and Franca have faced each other three times: two victories for Flamengo in Rio (one in the NBB and another in the Super 8), and a triumph for Franca at Pedrocão last Tuesday. The two clubs have also decided recent NBB, BCLA, and Super 8 finals, reinforcing the importance of today's clash.

In addition to the continental title, the BCLA champion guarantees a spot at the FIBA ​​Club World Cup, which will be held in Singapore in the second half of the year.

Tickets are still on sale starting at R$20, and there's a special promotion for fans. Using the coupon code BCLA75, the public receives a 75% discount. Flamengo fans must purchase their tickets through ingressos.flamengo.com.br, while other fans can purchase tickets at futebolcard.com. The ticket offices will also be open on match days.