Having qualified for the final of the Campeonato Carioca, Flamengo will play on Wednesday against Coronel Bolognesi, the match that will decide Flamengo's position in Group 4 of the Copa Libertadores. Coach Joel Santana demands full concentration from his players for Wednesday's match, before turning his attention to the state championship final.

"I don't want to think about the state final yet. I don't even know who the opponent is. After Sunday, we can talk about that. First, we'll focus on the Libertadores. Deciding at home is always important. Every game is decisive now, and we can't afford to slip up. We can't be surprised anymore. We can finish first in the Libertadores in our group and overall. We have to work hard to make that happen, because this situation will help us in the subsequent stages."

Joel said he will take advantage of this week without games to improve some aspects of the team.

- “We're going to take advantage of the time off to improve our physical fitness and then focus on the tactical aspect.”

When asked about alleged interest from the South African national team, the coach denied it.

"When we were going to decide the Guanabara Cup, they asked if I'd been approached by a European club, and now this South Africa thing is happening. It's always like that in a decision, there's always a rumor. I'm not saying anything about it because it doesn't exist for me."