Despite the 2-1 victory over Vasco da Gama, coach Joel Santana doesn't want his players to get carried away. With 46 points and seventh place, Flamengo faces Grêmio this Sunday at Maracanã and is aiming for a top spot.

"We're at heaven's gate, but we're not in yet. We have to keep working to stay in the fight. We have to achieve our first goal, which is to score 50 points."

Sunday's match is important for the red-blacks' ambitions in the Championship, as Grêmio is a direct opponent in the fight for the 2008 Libertadores. For Joel, this is not the time to think about that.

"We have seven games left and 21 points to play for. We want to give the red-and-blacks a merry Christmas, because that's what they deserve. We'll take it one step at a time, moving ever closer to relegation, and then focus on the Copa Sudamericana and Copa Libertadores."

For Sunday's game, Flamengo's manager expects a difficult game.

"Grêmio is a very combative team. Typical of a team from Rio Grande do Sul. They have Tuta, who is quite dangerous in the box. We have to be careful with Tcheco too. It's going to be a very difficult game, as they're a team that plays well in Rio de Janeiro."