As the São Paulo Junior Football Cup winds down, the difficulty of the matches intensifies. Well-versed in this, and boasting three titles under its belt, Flamengo, which has been enchanting everyone with its fast, objective football and high tactical and technical quality, is ready for the duel against São Caetano, which takes place this Friday night at 21 pm at the Prefeito José Liberatti Municipal Stadium in Osasco. The match will be broadcast live on SporTV. The winner will face Cruzeiro or Bragantino in the next round, already counting for the round of XNUMX of the tournament. A draw will lead to a penalty shootout.

"I was very pleased with the collective improvement we showed in the match against Nacional. Our team is very technical, and if we know how to take advantage of and impose our collective strength, our individual strengths will emerge naturally. That's what we practice daily at Ninho do Urubu, that's what we demonstrated in our last game, and that's what we hope to repeat against São Caetano, whom we respect greatly and know will pose many challenges, just as they did in the group stage. But anyone who wants to be a champion must overcome the adversities that arise in a competition like the Copa São Paulo. That's our goal, and we hope to take another step forward this Friday night," said coach Gilmar Popoca.

Fan club members get more Flamengo on the field: the money goes to football and brings more reinforcements, new talent, and structure to the training center! Click and feel the pride of being a fan club member.

Much celebrated for its attack, it's important to note that the red-and-black team has also demonstrated remarkable defensive consistency throughout the competition. It's no surprise that it boasts one of the tightest defenses among the 120 participating teams, conceding only two goals in the first four Copinha matches. Highly efficient and focused, the attack has already scored 14 goals.

"We've worked hard to maintain our defensive consistency throughout the season. We're very confident in our attack, which is known for scoring a lot of goals. Therefore, we know that if we hold on well at the back, we have a good chance of winning. Unfortunately, Michael was injured in the second game. Moraes came into the team, and nothing changed. We've remained very solid, conceding few goals and scoring many. Our chemistry is very good, and thank God everything has been going well," said defender Rafael, who added: "Unfortunately, I suffered a lower back injury last season and lost my place in the team. Thanks to the fruits of my hard work, and always showing great respect for my teammates, I was able to recover it during the Copa RS Internacional in December, and I believe I've maintained good consistency since then. I've been feeling very good and playing well. Our four matches in São Caetano were excellent, and having the support of our fans is inexplicable. I hope they support us here in Osasco as well and help us out." to make a difference so we can continue our good campaign in this Copinha", concluded Rafael.