The week leading up to a derby is unique. Anyone who's experienced the day-to-day running of a football club knows this. Flamengo is no exception. This Monday (February 10.02), newly appointed coach Marcelo Buarque begins preparing for the match against Vasco, which will take place next Saturday (February 15.02), in the eighth round of the first half of the Campeonato Carioca U-20.

"First of all, having a week to work is good. It will be the first full week of training I'll have with the squad without a midweek game. As for motivation for the match, there's no need to dwell on that. The derby is already very motivating in itself. We'll work with good intensity, as we always do, and show the players the importance of the match," said the red-and-black coach.

The game will be held at the Cruzmaltino club's youth training center in the city of Itaguaí. The match can be considered a head-to-head, as only one point separates fourth-place Flamengo from seventh-place Vasco.

"We're going to work hard to win. We know it will be difficult. We can go to Itaguaí and win. It doesn't really matter if it's at home or away. What defines a classic is quality, the fact that one team performs better than the other. We're looking for victory wherever the game takes place," said Marcelo Buarque.