Little by little, Flamengo 2010 is taking shape. Juan is still suspended, and Willians and Maldonado are recovering from injuries, but coach Andrade is increasingly having options for his State Championship lineup. This Saturday, the team from Gávea faces Bangu at 17 p.m. at Engenhão, with the returns of Leonardo Moura and Adriano, and the debut of Vagner Love, the club's big signing for the season.

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Despite the formation of this core, coach Andrade and the red-and-black players continue to insist on patience. After all, the team isn't yet fully coherent, the season is still in its early stages, and some players are only playing their first match of 2010. Aware of this, the red-and-black manager relies on the strength of the group and the individual technique of each player to overcome these minor difficulties and guarantees that, over time, this team will gel.

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"The anxiety to see all the players on the field is very high everywhere, but we need to remain calm. We have very high-quality, high-level athletes, and they cannot be forced, because it could get worse in the future. We have a strong group, I was very happy with the team that won the first two games, and little by little the team is coming together," he analyzed.

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The moment is also filled with great anticipation for the Empire of Love's debut in the red-and-black attack. Adriano and Vagner Love are confirmed for the duel later today: "If you were the coach, who would you pick?" Andrade asked a journalist who questioned him about the starting lineup. The pair only played a few minutes together in the 2004 Copa América for the Brazilian national team. "The interaction in the training camp was great, but on the field, we barely played," recalls Love.

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Even the Love Gunner says he's looking forward to the game later today. He says that, despite the limited training time alongside the Emperor, he's confident the duo will perform well, which, he says, will only get better over time. "We've only trained for a short time, but we can already see that it's going to work. It will improve over time. We'll try to overcome the lack of cohesion with great determination and quality," revealed Love.

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The opponent - Bangu is in a slump in the 2010 Campeonato Carioca. The red-and-white team played two matches in the competition, but lost both by a score of 3-0. The last defeat was against Fluminense, at the Maracanã. Midfielder Marcão believes that, despite this, the team is improving and wants to bounce back against Flamengo: "We lacked a bit of organization, but the team performed well on the field. We tried, we forced, but they managed those two penalties. The team was a fighter, we fought, and we will recover in the next match."

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Unable to host games against major teams in Moça Bonita, Bangu chose to face Flamengo at Engenhão. Therefore, there was an additional concern for the match: the condition of the pitch. The João Havelange Olympic Stadium hosted three games in four days, and in the match between Botafogo and Friburguense, the pitch proved to be far from ideal due to the rain. "But it will be bad for us and for Bangu, so that can't be a problem," said Vagner Love.

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FLAMENGO X BANGU

Date/Time: 23/01/2010 - 17:XNUMX PM
Location: Engenhão
Referee: Wagner dos Santos Rosa
Assistants: Silbert Faria Sisquim and Wendel de Paiva Gouvea

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FLAMENGO: Bruno, Leo Moura, Alvaro, Ronaldo Angelim and Everton Silva; Toro, Fernando, Kleberson and Vinicius Pacheco; Adriano and Vagner Love. Coach: Andrade.
BANGU: Marcos Leandro, Uillian Souza, Carlos Renan, Abílio, Bruno Santos and Marcão; André Oliveira, Digão and Tiano; Somalia and Pipico. Coach: Marcelo Buarque.