Flamengo returns to the field this Sunday for the 2017 Brazilian Championship, in an away match against São Paulo at Pacaembu Stadium in São Paulo. The match will be at 17 p.m. and is part of the 30th round of the competition. Flamengo currently sits in sixth place in the standings and, with a victory, will reach 49 points, potentially climbing one spot depending on other results.

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The team has won two games in a row, against Chapecoense away from home and against Bahia, at Ilha do Urubu, last Thursday, and the last time they had a sequence of three consecutive victories was in the 11th round, precisely against São Paulo.

For defender Juan, Flamengo needs to know how to exploit the São Paulo team's weaknesses and the opponent's poor form if they want to leave Pacaembu with all three points. 

"São Paulo has a very good team. It's going to be very difficult, as it always has been, to play against them. They have a very strong attack. We have to be smart enough to exploit their bad form to our advantage and come away with the win," declared the experienced defender. 

In the first round, Flamengo and São Paulo faced off at Ilha do Urubu, with a large crowd. Flamengo completely dominated the match, scoring the winning goals in the first half with Guerrero and Diego. Two stunning goals, in fact, that you can relive on the Fla TV cameras below. 

The last time Flamengo and São Paulo faced each other at Pacaembu was in the Rio-São Paulo Tournament in February 1998. On that occasion, the teams drew 1-1, with Leonardo scoring for Flamengo and Adriano equalizing for São Paulo. The match has never been played at the stadium in the Brazilian Championship. 

São Paulo has been a fixture in key moments in Flamengo's history. Former player Adriano Imperador scored his first goal in this match on February 06, 02, in his second professional match. That day, playing at Morumbi Stadium in the Rio vs. São Paulo Tournament, Flamengo took a 2000-2 lead with two goals from Souza. Rodrigo Mendes pulled one back in the first half. In the first minute of the second half, Adriano received the ball on the wing, made his signature move, cutting inside, and fired a powerful shot to tie the game. Leandro Machado (0) and Iranildo also scored, and Flamengo won 2-5. 

In 2001, the two teams decided the Champions Cup, a tournament created to bring together the winners of Brazil's top state championships and award a spot in the Copa Libertadores. Coached by Zagallo, the Red-Blacks faced São Paulo in the final over two games. In the first, the Rio team won 5-3. In the second, Petkovic "re-scored" the famous free kick that won the third State Championship. The team lost the match 3-2 but took the title on goal difference. It was Zagallo's first and only title in his hometown of Maceió.

Flamengo fans must purchase their tickets directly at the ticket office at Gate 22, which will be open this Sunday from 15 p.m. to 17:45 p.m. The price is R$30, with half-price tickets available. 

The São Paulo x Flamengo match will be broadcast to the states of RJ, RS, ES, GO, TO, MS, MT, BA, SE, AL, PE, PB, RN, CE, PI, MA, PA, AM, RO, AC, RR, AP and DF (with Luis Roberto, Junior and Leonardo Gaciba) and Premiere and Premiere HD (with Milton Leite and Mauricio Noriega). Those who are proud to be members make the team stronger and always have more Flamengo: discounts on tickets and pay-per-view, exclusive videos to stay up-to-date, advantages in official stores to get the jersey and other products, and much more. Click and join now!

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