Flamengo's kickoff in the São Paulo Junior Cup takes place this Sunday at 14 p.m. at the Joaquim de Moraes Filho Stadium, known as Joaquinzão, in Taubaté, in the interior of São Paulo state. The red-and-blacks face an unknown opponent, Shallon Sport Club of Rondônia. Despite this, no one believes they'll have an easy time ahead. Quite the opposite. The youngsters will enter the field with their eyes open to avoid any surprises in their Copinha debut. But one player in particular is keen to win this Sunday.

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Striker Lucas Quintino, one of Flamengo's standout players last season, turns 18 today and is looking to win his first match as a member of the Flamengo youth team. Boasting a strong goal average last season, the center forward hopes to repeat his success in the Copinha and prove to coach Armênio Moura that he can be a starter for the Gávea team. Despite this, he states: the important thing is to help the team win.

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"I hope to always improve. I would be very happy to score a goal on my debut, on my birthday, but the important thing is for Flamengo to win. Of course I think about standing out, but the important thing is for the group to leave the field with the victory," said the striker.

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The Gávea team is in Group S of the most important tournament in Brazilian football, and in addition to Shallon, they will face Paulista and Taubaté, the home team. The young Flamengo team is confident about the competition. Since winning the Taça Octávio Pinto Guimarães in 2007, Flamengo hasn't won a junior title. Therefore, their motivation for the Copinha is even greater. Even with the team missing two key players called up to the Brazilian U-20 team, they will only be able to join the group if Mengão advances to the next stage.

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"I think this team's greatest strength is teamwork and unity. There's no vanity or anything like that. Everyone runs hard, comes back to play, and dedicates themselves... And that makes a huge difference. There's no one player in particular, but rather the talent and willingness of everyone is what makes the difference. We have a young group, but one with a lot of desire and potential," analyzed Armênio Moura, the club's coach.

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Flamengo's schedule in the Copinha is as follows: the Red-Black team debuts this Sunday, the 3rd, against Shallon, at 14 pm, with live coverage on SporTV and ESPN Brasil. Then, on Wednesday, the 6th, Mengão faces Paulista de Jundiaí, at 16 pm, and concludes its participation on Friday, the 9th, against the home team, Taubaté. This Sunday, Flamengo is expected to take the field with the following lineup: Marcello Vidotti, Alex, Christiano, Michel Pereira and Anderson; Lorran (Luiz Antônio), Maicon, João Vitor and Guilherme; Lucas (Nixon) and Dudu (Eliabe).