On Zico's birthday, Andrade wants to give him a gift worthy of the Galinho. This Wednesday (03.03), the team led by Tromba hosts Madureira at 21:50 pm at Maracanã, and the red-and-black coach wants another victory in the Taça Rio. The team from Gávea is seeking its second-round state championship and its fourth consecutive Carioca Championship title.

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Once again banking on the strength of his squad to juggle the Carioca and Libertadores competitions, Andrade made few changes to the team's lineup. The only new addition is Fierro as a starter in midfield. Bruno Mezenga returns to the bench, and Vinicius Pacheco moves up to play with Vagner Love in attack. Álvaro returns to the defense and partners with Fabrício.

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"Vinícius is the man responsible for creating plays. He'll float around the field. He'll play on the left, on the right, and will come back when he feels the need. Fierro creates plays too, but he'll stay a little more on the right. Álvaro returns to his normal position," explained the coach.

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Fabrício and Vinícius Pacheco, in fact, are two icons of the current squad. Despite the strength of the group, which boasts many established players, there's also room for youth academy products.

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"Flamengo has always developed players, and this year that's happening again. I try to give everyone a chance. It's up to them to take advantage. Fabrício and Vinícius took advantage of it. The players have to show me that they can be starters, and they both did that," Andrade noted.

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While Flamengo is seeking its second consecutive victory in the Rio Cup, Madureira, in turn, is trying to bounce back from a home loss to Boavista. However, the Tricolor Suburbano will be without its top scorer, Marcelo Ramos. Therefore, its main weapon is Derlei, who previously played for Porto-POR.

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CREDITS:
FLAMENGO X MADUREIRA

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Stadium: Maracanã, Rio de Janeiro (RJ)
Date/Time: 03/03/10 - 21:50 p.m.
Referee: Wagner do Nascimento Magalhães
Assistants: João Luiz Coelho de Albuquerque and Francisco Pereira de Souza

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FLAMENGO: Bruno, Léo Moura, Álvaro, Angelim and Juan; Willians, Toró, Fernando and Fierro; Vinícius Pacheco and Vagner Love. Coach: Andrade.

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MADUREIRA: Jefferson, Crispin, Edinho, Leandrão and Nil; Rodrigo, Wagner, Caio and Alex Oliveira; Eberson and Derlei. Coach: Antônio Carlos Roy.

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