With an eye on the semifinal, this Wednesday (21) was the day for the red-black squad to finalize their preparations to face Fluminense in search of a place in the final of the Rio Cup. The match, which will be played from 21:45 pm this Thursday (22) at the Nilton Santos stadium, will feature an important return to the list of related players.

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In a press conference after tactical training at Ninho do Urubu, midfielder Everton Ribeiro spoke about captain Réver's return to training alongside his teammates. The number 7 also celebrated the team's excellent condition for the final, with the only players missing being Trauco, who is on international duty with Peru, and Berrío, who is recovering from a serious injury sustained in 2017.

"He (Réver) trained normally with the group, everyone is available for the coach to choose the ideal formation. I think we prepared well to have a great match," commented Everton, ruling out any desire for revenge due to the setback in the last meeting between the teams. "It ends up motivating, but we know that each match has its own story. We want to make a new one so we can come out of there with a victory," he added.

A special flavor, however, permeates every classic, regardless of the competition, a fact emphasized by the scorer who opened the scoring in the rout that secured the Mais Querido a spot in the semifinals. "It carries a lot of weight. It's a Fla-Flu match, and we know how important this classic is. We do want to be champions of the Taça Rio, which would give us a huge advantage in the final. But first, we have this big match ahead of us," he predicted.

The match will mark Henrique Dourado's first reunion with his former team. For Everton Ribeiro, the nation's hopes for goals from the number 19 are slowly being realized. Praising the center forward, the fans of all those on the red-and-black side of the match are hoping for a good performance from Dourado, according to the midfielder.

"He arrived here with high expectations and scored a lot of goals to help us. I hope that this meeting with his former club can bring us some joy, because before he gave us a lot of trouble. When goals don't come, it's very difficult for a striker, but he's scored in the last few matches and that boosts our confidence," he concluded.