Flamengo's first preseason training match, currently being held at Granja Comary in Teresópolis, will be next Thursday at 15 p.m. against the Nicaraguan national team. It will be coach Joel Santana's first opportunity to see the players in action, as they have only been undergoing physical exercises so far. On Sunday, the red-and-black team will face the Benin national team. Today, the players participated in two training sessions again. Those who arrived this year or were already with the club in 2007 know that they will need to show their worth to coach Joel Santana to secure a spot in the starting lineup for the State Championship debut against Boavista on the 20th at Maracanã. "Some players have arrived, and everyone knows that only those who are fit will play. This stimulates preparation, and Joel is the one who benefits, as he now has more options." The idea is to win titles and, to do that, we need to be well prepared and motivated - said midfielder Toró, who finished 2007 as a starter.\

Tomorrow morning's (Monday) training session has been cancelled due to the effort put in by the athletes in today's training sessions, coupled with the very heavy pitch caused by the torrential rains at Granja.\ The 16pm training session is still on\