The spirit of winning the sixth title is the secret to achieving qualification
Flamengo faces Universidad Católica looking to secure three points away from home
By From the team at Flamengo's official website - in
When it set off in search of its sixth Brazilian title last year, Flamengo proved it had found a way to corner its opponents at home and, especially, away. The entire Flamengo squad credits victories away from Maracanã with a good portion of its success, and against Universidad Católica this Wednesday (April 14.04) at 21:50 p.m. (Brasília time) in the Copa Santander Libertadores, that mystique promises to be on the field again.
Ever since he led the team to another Taça Rio final, Andrade has been saying that the determination of 2009 was back. Along with it came the rhythm of the game and the important matches, the most attractive for experienced players like Flamengo's. Therefore, the red-and-black coach already knows what to expect from his team this Wednesday night: a victory.
"We know it will be difficult, that they need the win no matter what, but we're going to get it for ourselves. We need this result to give the group more peace of mind," said the coach, explaining that a draw would not be considered a bad result.
"We have to be smart. We're going to go for the three points, but playing away, a draw wouldn't be bad. We know that with this point, we can decide our future at home, against Caracas, who are eliminated," analyzed Andrade.
One of Flamengo's key players in recent seasons, left-back Juan agrees with the coach when it comes to "trickery" away from home. According to him, this factor was indeed responsible for the sixth title and could be responsible for another significant title: the Libertadores.
"We've learned to play away from home. The team knows how to behave and will return to being focused for the full 90 minutes. Every time we've done that, we've gotten results. It's important to go out on the field knowing we'll play to our limit until the end. Decisions are played that way. Not to mention that we'll face a lot of pressure from the opposing fans from the first minute. That's another reason to be careful," said Juan, who is already imagining a happy return home.
"I hope everyone plays well in the game. That way, we'll practically define our classification for the next stage of the competition and we'll be able to return home happier. It would be much more pleasant to face the flight this way. I'll do everything I can to make that happen," concluded the full-back.
EVERYTHING OR NOTHING
And while Flamengo is talking about winning to secure a place in the Copa Libertadores Round of 16, Universidad Católica will also enter Wednesday's match with a goal: staying in the competition. With just four points, the Chilean team will only keep its chances of qualifying alive if it beats the red-and-black team.
"We consider all matches important, but this one against Flamengo is vital. We'll go out there with our best and give everything on the field to get a positive result. As long as there's light at the end of the tunnel, we'll keep going. We'll be at home and with our fans. It's very important not to disappoint them," said La Católica coach Marco Antonio Figueroa.
UNIVERSIDAD CATÓLICA (CHI)
Stadium: San Carlos de Apoquindo, Santiago (CHI)
Date/time: 14/4/10 - 21:50 PM (Brasília time)
Referee: Sergio Fabián Pezzota (ARG)
Assistants: Norberto Daniel Moyano (ARG) and Ariel Fernando Bustos (ARG)
CATHOLIC UNIVERSITY: Garcés, Martínez (Fuentes), Ponce and Henriquez; Valenzuela, Ormeño, Silva and Meneses; Díaz and Mirosevic; Morales. Coach: Marco Antônio Figueroa
FLAMENGO: Bruno; Leonardo Moura, Alvaro, Ronaldo Angelim and Juan; Maldonado, Toró, Willians and Fierro (Petkovic); Vagner Love and Vinícius Pacheco (Bruno Mezenga). Coach: Andrade.
Ever since he led the team to another Taça Rio final, Andrade has been saying that the determination of 2009 was back. Along with it came the rhythm of the game and the important matches, the most attractive for experienced players like Flamengo's. Therefore, the red-and-black coach already knows what to expect from his team this Wednesday night: a victory.
"We know it will be difficult, that they need the win no matter what, but we're going to get it for ourselves. We need this result to give the group more peace of mind," said the coach, explaining that a draw would not be considered a bad result.
"We have to be smart. We're going to go for the three points, but playing away, a draw wouldn't be bad. We know that with this point, we can decide our future at home, against Caracas, who are eliminated," analyzed Andrade.
One of Flamengo's key players in recent seasons, left-back Juan agrees with the coach when it comes to "trickery" away from home. According to him, this factor was indeed responsible for the sixth title and could be responsible for another significant title: the Libertadores.
"We've learned to play away from home. The team knows how to behave and will return to being focused for the full 90 minutes. Every time we've done that, we've gotten results. It's important to go out on the field knowing we'll play to our limit until the end. Decisions are played that way. Not to mention that we'll face a lot of pressure from the opposing fans from the first minute. That's another reason to be careful," said Juan, who is already imagining a happy return home.
"I hope everyone plays well in the game. That way, we'll practically define our classification for the next stage of the competition and we'll be able to return home happier. It would be much more pleasant to face the flight this way. I'll do everything I can to make that happen," concluded the full-back.
EVERYTHING OR NOTHING
And while Flamengo is talking about winning to secure a place in the Copa Libertadores Round of 16, Universidad Católica will also enter Wednesday's match with a goal: staying in the competition. With just four points, the Chilean team will only keep its chances of qualifying alive if it beats the red-and-black team.
"We consider all matches important, but this one against Flamengo is vital. We'll go out there with our best and give everything on the field to get a positive result. As long as there's light at the end of the tunnel, we'll keep going. We'll be at home and with our fans. It's very important not to disappoint them," said La Católica coach Marco Antonio Figueroa.
UNIVERSIDAD CATÓLICA (CHI)
Stadium: San Carlos de Apoquindo, Santiago (CHI)
Date/time: 14/4/10 - 21:50 PM (Brasília time)
Referee: Sergio Fabián Pezzota (ARG)
Assistants: Norberto Daniel Moyano (ARG) and Ariel Fernando Bustos (ARG)
CATHOLIC UNIVERSITY: Garcés, Martínez (Fuentes), Ponce and Henriquez; Valenzuela, Ormeño, Silva and Meneses; Díaz and Mirosevic; Morales. Coach: Marco Antônio Figueroa
FLAMENGO: Bruno; Leonardo Moura, Alvaro, Ronaldo Angelim and Juan; Maldonado, Toró, Willians and Fierro (Petkovic); Vagner Love and Vinícius Pacheco (Bruno Mezenga). Coach: Andrade.