Joel Santana is an enlightened coach, as he himself says. In just over three months on the job, he took Flamengo from second-to-last in the Brazilian Championship to the top of the table. His debut came against Santos, a dramatic 3-0 defeat at Vila Belmiro. Now in fourth place and fighting for a Libertadores spot, Joel expects another tough match, but with a different outcome for the Clube da Gávea.

"Now it's a decisive match. If we repeat our performances against São Paulo, Vasco, and Atlético-MG, we have a good chance of coming out victorious. The important thing is to keep fighting and running on the field, because then the results will come."

With a victory against Santos on Sunday at Maracanã, Joel believes that the chances of qualifying for the biggest tournament in America increase considerably.

- "We'll be in a very good position if we win on Sunday. Our position in the table would be very good, and we'd decide who's going to play at home against Atlético-PR."

At the press conference after training, Joel celebrated the new attendance record for the Brazilian Championship, the more than 70 thousand tickets sold in advance for the game against Santos.

"I'm very happy and moved by the fans' trust. Our fans have always been by our side," the coach concluded.