Captain and leader of the current red-black group, Fábio Luciano knows the importance of Sunday's match against Palmeiras, at Maracanã, for Flamengo's ambitions in this Brazilian Championship.

"The difference in this game is knowing that a win could leave the team well placed in the standings, and a slip-up could put us further away from our Libertadores Cup dreams and the title. But I'm sure our fans will cheer us on. Maracanã is our home, and we hope the fans show up, as they always have. The fans have a positive influence on our team."

The red-black captain is keeping an eye on Palmeiras' attack, formed by Alex Mineiro and Kleber.

"Palmeiras has a respectable attack. Alex Mineiro is fighting for the top scorer position and knows how to score goals. Kleber is also very good. Everyone already knows them. We'll work to mark them well on Sunday because we know we can't give them any space. The respect we have for Palmeiras is because of their team and what they've done in the championship."

Fábio Luciano believes that the direct clashes in the next rounds, against Palmeiras at Maracanã and Cruzeiro at Mineirão, will be decisive for the red-black team in this Brasileirão.

"We'll go in knowing Cruzeiro's result, which is important. We now have two direct opponents. If these were games against opponents who aren't in the running, a win wouldn't change the standings much. But a positive result changes a lot for us, as well as for Palmeiras and Cruzeiro."

The number 3 praises Flamengo's campaign in this Brazilian Championship and guarantees that the team will do everything to try to bring joy to the fans in these four rounds that remain until the end of the competition.

"The championship with this score shows the balance. Last year, with 60 points, we might have already qualified for the Libertadores. We'll try to please our fans too. We're happy with our work, because we have a good score and are still in the running, but we also need to bring joy to the fans. We'll fight hard in these four remaining rounds."