He already has six Libertadores titles under his belt: four as a player and two as an assistant. One title, the 1981 one, is also on his list. But, on the eve of his debut as a coach in the competition, Andrade admits to feeling a little nervous. It's a normal feeling, and according to him, it's not synonymous with nervousness. The red-and-black coach assures he's at peace thanks to the quality of his squad.

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Confident of a strong Libertadores campaign, Andrade knows that success in the tournament requires experience, and he and his team have plenty of it. Of the starting lineup facing Universidad Católica in this opening match, only three players have never played in the competition: youngsters Fabrício and Vinicius Pacheco, as well as midfielder Willians.

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"I've already played in two Libertadores as an assistant and four as a player, but this one is different. This tournament requires a resume, experience, but I'm calm because I have a quality and very competitive group and I'm sure we'll have a great campaign," he said.

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Clubs with a long history in South America, such as Argentina's River Plate, were left out of this edition of the competition. However, coach Andrade doesn't believe his team will have an easy time. Quite the opposite. He believes the red-and-black group in the first phase of the tournament is already quite difficult.

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"Many people believe this Libertadores will be easy, but I think exactly the opposite. Our group has two strong Chilean teams, plus Caracas, which few people watch but is always coming. It's crucial to start with a win, especially since we have two away games in a row and we want to finish first in the group, but it won't be easy," he noted.

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Regarding the 25 players chosen to represent Flamengo in these first six games of the Copa Libertadores da América, Andrade assures that he considered only one criterion: fairness. However, he has a message for those not selected for the competition: nothing is final.

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"I didn't just think about defense when I made the list. I tried to be as fair as possible to all the players and what they've been demonstrating. It's difficult, but decisions have to be made, and we try to do so in the best way possible. But nothing in life is definitive. This list may be modified for the second phase," he concluded.