Preparations for the Brasileirão Feminino Sub-20, which included some training matches and a duel valid for the Copa Rio professional, have come to an end and it is finally time for the team to debut in the category's competition. On Tuesday afternoon (14), Mais Querido will face Fortaleza, at 15 pm, in Gávea, for the opening round. FlaTV and FlaTV+ will broadcast the duel exclusively from 14:30 pm.

Finishing third last year after a strong campaign, Mengão arrives highly motivated. They've spent two months working hard at CEFAN, focusing on the tournament, which will have a new format in 2023. In an interview with the official website, coach Celso Silva analyzed the overall situation, praised the athletes' positive form, praised the team's developmental DNA, and emphasized that the Rubro-Negro's main goal is to lift the trophy.

"We've had some positives at the beginning of the year, such as the girls being used in the senior team. This gives us peace of mind regarding our development work. Now, we're at an important moment, as this is the category's key competition. The sport is growing steadily, and we want to win titles. Besides all this, our preparation is very good. We made some specific signings, but we maintained our core, which helped a lot in the preseason. A good example of our strength was participating in a major competition and performing well even without all the players available. That said, expectations are high, and what I can say is that Flamengo will enter with the goal of being champion," he explained. 

Related athletes

Agatha and Victoria; Ana Laura, Bruna, Diovanna, Ingrid and Yasmin Maciel; Alessandra, Barbieri, Kethilyn, Lorena and Núbia; Ju Romanelli, Laís, Letícia, Maria Peck, Myla and Naely; Ana Donato, Ingrid Santos, Laysa, Mariana Fernandes and Pimenta.

Dispute system

The clubs are divided into four groups. Initially, teams face opponents from another group, with the top two from each advancing. The second phase also involves division. Then, the semifinals become a knockout stage. 

Coverage

You can follow everything about the daily life of the Meninas da Gávea on Flamengo's new women's football profile at Instagram!