It's not just against Brazilian opponents that the Empire of Love commands respect. The duo of Adriano and Vagner Love has also been making waves in Chile. Flamengo's first opponent in this year's Copa Libertadores, the Universidad Católica team, has already sounded the alarm about the red-and-blacks' talent. Goalkeeper Cristopher Toselli, for example, knows he'll have his work cut out for him when facing the Emperor and the Artilheiro do Amor.

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Last Sunday, the Chilean team arrived in Rio de Janeiro to begin preparations for this Wednesday's match. The Chileans hope to bounce back from a three-game losing streak in their domestic championship. However, they know that defeating Flamengo at Maracanã Stadium is no easy feat. Toselli believes even a draw is a worthy victory.

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"We have to be realistic. They have a world-class attack, it's going to be difficult to face them. We need to remain calm. We have to be cautious and try to take advantage of the opportunities that arise. On paper, it's difficult, especially given the current situation. But football always surprises, and we'll try to win or get a point, which would also be good," he told the Chilean website Cooperativa.

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Midfielder Ángel Carreño also spoke about the match against Flamengo. In an interview with the UC's official website, he assured that the team is motivated to take a point from Flamengo in this Wednesday's match. He believes that counterattacks should be used as a weapon to achieve this goal.

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"We're working to get a point off Flamengo at home, but we, as always, will go in to win. This type of match is much more open than the ones we play in the Chilean Championship. They, with all the support of the fans and knowing what the Libertadores represents, will attack us, and it's up to us to know how to avoid that and counterattack," he analyzed.

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It's worth remembering that, historically, Flamengo has never beaten Universidad de Chile. There were two meetings in 2002, in the Copa Libertadores itself, and in both, the Chileans prevailed: 3-1 and 2-1. On Wednesday, the likely opponent's starting lineup is Garcés, Fuentes, Henríquez, Martinez; Valenzuela, Ormeño, Silva, Toloza; Mirosevic, Díaz; Morales.