The red-black coach Gustavo De Conti led Flamengo's victory over Instituto de Córdoba, in Argentina, in the Basketball Champions League Americas last Friday, but just a few days later, they'll need to switch gears again for the NBB matches. The team departed this Tuesday, November 5th, for Campina Grande, Paraíba, to face UNIFACISA, and then heads to Fortaleza, Ceará, to face Basquete Cearense. Regarding the matchups, Gustavo assesses the opponents. 

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"We expect two very tough games ahead. UNIFACISA is a very versatile team, with no single star player, but several players who can score and give us trouble rebounding. Of course, there's Barnes, who has been the standout performer in points, but there's plenty of potential to shine on a game night," the coach assesses. 

Regarding the next opponent, Gustavinho states that Flabasquete will have to play to the limit if they want to win. 

"Ceará doesn't have as many wins as UNIFACISA in the competition, but they've been playing well and are always a very competitive team. They may have started a little later than the other teams, but last season they showed their capabilities by reaching the playoffs and finishing among the top eight in the NBB. This year, I believe they're even stronger than last year and can go even further, so we have to be very attentive to these games and play to the limit if we want to win," adds the coach.

Gustavo also believes in the presence of the Nation in the gyms to push Mais Querido towards triumphs.

"Flamengo fans are all over the world, and we know there are a lot of Flamengo fans in the Northeast too. Neither basketball nor soccer fans go there much, especially Campina Grande, so every time we go, we're always greeted by a large crowd. I saw that tickets for the match against UNIFACISA are already sold out, and I hope it's the same in Ceará. I hope we find a lot of Flamengo fans supporting us in Fortaleza, because that's great for the team's performance," concludes the Flamengo coach. 

The basketball teams of Clube de Regatas do Flamengo receive funding from their sponsors – BRB, TIM, AmBev, Rede D'or, IRB Brasil RE, CSN, Brasil Plural, and EY – via the Federal Incentive Law/Ministry of Sports (IR) and the State Incentive Law/Rio de Janeiro State Secretariat of Sports, Recreation, and Youth (Seelje), in addition to support from the Brazilian Club Committee (CBC) resulting from the decentralization of resources generated by the Pelé Law. The Anjo da Guarda Rubro-Negro Project, a personal tax transfer, benefits all Olympic sports of the Most Beloved.