The atmosphere for Fla vs. Flu this Sunday begins to take over Maracanã early. Before the ball rolls for the professional duel at 19:30 pm, the juniors face off at 17:15 pm for the fifth round of the U-20 Carioca Championship. Both teams are undefeated, but Flamengo has three wins and one draw, compared to the Tricolor's two wins and two draws. Therefore, in addition to the importance of a classic, the red-and-black players want a victory because they are facing a direct competitor in the standings.

\

To achieve this goal, coach Armênio Moura had to make changes to his team. He lost three key players. More specifically, in one area: defense. Jorbison, injured, remains out of the starting lineup. Anderson plays in his place. At right-back, Anderson's twin brother, Alex, replaces Rafael Galhardo, also ruled out by the medical department. In the center of defense, the only remaining player from the starting lineup, Christianno, will play alongside Rodrigo Frauches, who replaces Michel Pereira.

\

"The three players who started in defense have been ruled out by the DM, so we'll practically go in with the reserve defense, with only Christianno, who had been playing as a starter. It changes the team a bit, but I don't believe it will harm the team in any way, because the strength of this group is precisely that it is homogeneous," explained coach Armênio Moura.

\

While the Flamengo coach is missing defensively, he can count on the return of two key players in attack. Midfielder Saba and center forward Diego Maurício, who missed the 1-1 draw with Americano last Wednesday at Gávea, are back in the lineup. Therefore, the team will field against Fluminense as follows: Marcelo Carné, Alex, Frauches, Christianno, and Anderson; Luiz Antônio, João Vitor, Dieguinho, and Saba; Juninho and Diego Maurício.