After returning to the Brasileirão lead last weekend, Flamengo returned to training this Monday morning (17), at Ninho do Urubu, and began preparations for the classic against Fluminense. The 34th round match takes place this Wednesday (19), at 21:30 pm, at Maracanã. With 71 points, Mengão overtook Palmeiras in the championship standings. 

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On the day it celebrated its 130th anniversary, Flamengo thrashed Sport 5-1 at Arena Pernambuco in a rescheduled match from the 12th round. After the game, coach Filipe Luís spoke about the high number of players unavailable and projected that some of them would return for the Fla-Flu derby.

“Honestly? I don’t know. We don’t have any natural midfielders without them (Arrascaeta and Carrascal). During the week, we did some tests, and I opted for this lineup today. We’ll see how Allan, Pedro, Jorginho, and all the players in the medical department recover. I think it’s difficult in the Fla-Flu derby, and it’s unlikely that the players called up will arrive in top form. But I have no doubt that some of them will be available to help; they are young. Seeing how they arrive, I will try to make the best decision. It will be what I think is best to face Fluminense,” said the coach.

The good news from today's training is that midfielder Jorginho returned to training with the group and could be included in the squad for the derby. Defender Léo Ortiz also showed improvement and has a chance of returning to the team. Alex Sandro, Danilo, Arrascaeta, Varela, Viña, Carrascal and Plata are on international duty with their respective national teams during the FIFA international break. They will be reassessed by the medical department to determine if they will be fit to play. 

Flamengo returns to training this Tuesday (18), when it will make the final adjustments for the derby.