Flamengo's under-17 team hosts Portuguesa at Gávea, this Saturday (29), at 13 pm, for the last round of the Taça Guanabara. Leaders with 58 points, the Garotos do Ninho are looking for their third championship in the competition, and for this, they need a simple victory over Lusa to win the title of this phase. The conquest will guarantee Rubro-Negro the home advantage in the second semifinal match, and also in a possible final.

"Anyone who wears the Flamengo jersey needs to be obsessed with winning. The game against Portuguesa will be another crucial match in a balanced championship, and we have the opportunity to win the Guanabara Cup for the third time. We know the difficulties involved in this decisive moment, but we are prepared for this crucial match," emphasized coach Phelipe Leal.

With two titles won outside of Brazil this year, in Dallas and China, coach Phelipe Leal believes in the importance of the home advantage in a decisive phase.

“Playing at home will always have its benefits. We know the strength we have when playing at home. Therefore, we will spare no effort to have this advantage in the State Championship finals.”

Flamengo, nicknamed "The Most Beloved," arrives at the final round of the Guanabara Cup leading the competition with 58 points. Their campaign includes 24 matches, 17 wins, four draws, and only two losses, achieving an 84,1% success rate.

In the first round of the competition, Flamengo and Portuguesa faced each other at the Luso Brasileiro Stadium, with Flamengo winning 6-0.

The match will not have ticket sales and entry to the Gávea Stadium will be free. The fans are welcome to support the Flamengo youth team in their quest for the 2018 Guanabara Cup U-17 title.

The four highest-ranked teams in the Taça Guanabara will compete in the Carioca semifinals, divided into two groups, E and F. The teams will play each other within their group in a home-and-away format. The teams that finished first and second in the Taça Guanabara qualifying phase will have home advantage for the second leg of the semifinals. The grand final will be played in a two-legged format between the winner of Group E and the winner of Group F. The home advantage for the second leg of the final will go to the team with the higher ranking at the end of the group stage (Taça Guanabara).

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