Full-backs with freedom to advance, three defensive midfielders, Maxi on the wings, and Souza as the key man in the box. This is the formation Flamengo used in training this Friday morning in Gávea, and will face Juventude this Sunday in Caxias do Sul in the Brazilian Championship.

"I still can't count on Roger, Renato Augusto, and Ibson, but there's no point in complaining. We'll go with the best we have at the moment. The full-backs have been performing well in attack, and I need to protect them. Up front, the Souza and Maxi duo has performed best under my command," commented coach Joel Santana, who once again warned about the type of game he expects in Caxias do Sul.

"We have to learn to play according to the characteristics of each match, opponent, and location. We can't train here like we would at Aterro do Flamengo, for example. Juventude doesn't play or let them play, and so the difficulties will be very great."

Flamengo arrives in Caxias do Sul on Friday night and returns to training this Saturday morning, at the Caxias field, Juventude's rival.