Following an important first step in the Fla-Flu quarterfinals of the CONMEBOL Sudamericana, it's time to refocus on the Brazilian Championship. With an eye on another important upcoming match, this time against Vasco da Gama, Everton Ribeiro gave a press conference in the Victorino Chermont Press Room at Ninho do Urubu, emphasizing his quest for a good result in this duel.

"A derby is a league in itself. We know how important it is to beat them, and this time it won't be any different. It's not a knockout match, but we're in the final stretch of the Brazilian Championship. It's an important matchup that could put us ahead of them," said Everton Ribeiro, who analyzed the match. "We expect another tough game. They have a team that has been improving in the league and is close to us in the table. Derby matches are decided by the details," he predicted.

In the clash between the teams in the first round of the Brazilian Championship, Everton made a beautiful play on the right side of the São Januário pitch before finding his namesake Éverton inside the penalty area. The memory remains alive in the memory of the attacking midfielder, who hopes for another great performance in the classic this Saturday (28), at Maracanã.

"It was one of the games I played really well in," he commented, referring to the goal. "It was a quick move to open up the defense. I hope to do it again, especially in an important game that can decide things in our favor," he added.

The performance against Fluminense last Wednesday was crucial in boosting the team's confidence after the negative result against São Paulo. Everton Ribeiro, however, points out that there is still a long way to go to ensure the red-and-blacks advance to the next stage of the international competition.

"It was an important victory, which gives us a slight advantage for the next game. But nothing is set in stone yet. We have another 90 minutes to finalize our qualification. Fluminense has a good team, and we'll need to be as focused as yesterday to advance," he emphasized.

The sad note of the interview was another loss to the squad. While undergoing tests at Ninho do Urubu, Flamengo captain Réver was diagnosed with a medial collateral ligament injury in his right knee. Everton Ribeiro spoke about the defender's absence, emphasizing, however, the quality of potential replacements.

"He's our captain. He'll be sorely missed, even though we know we have great players to fill his absence. We know his leadership. I spoke to him, and he's in pain from a recent injury. It's sad. We'll be cheering for him and for Berrío, a great friend who was also seriously injured," he said.

We have experienced players, and we demonstrated that by reaching the Copa do Brasil final. But what we didn't do there, we intend to do now. Learn from our mistakes and defeats and advance to the semifinals, which will be very important for us.

I heard the coach say he thinks it's difficult to return early, but he's undergoing treatment and eager to help us again. We hope he's back as soon as possible, because he's very important to our team.

These days, everyone watches the games and has a staff member behind them analyzing them. As much as he knows our team, we also know Vasco. We have an experienced coach who will build a competitive team, and we'll go after victory.

We regret the injuries. They're important players for us. But we have to think ahead; we can create. This is our characteristic, and we have to use it to our best advantage to score goals and win our matches.

We talked about it. Sometimes, even when we're running, we have to show it with a sliding tackle or a stronger finish, but always looking for the ball. Our fans appreciate that. It's in Flamengo's DNA. We have to do it. Having the fans behind us makes a difference, as it has in recent games, and that's very important to us.