This Wednesday, Flamengo begins its fight for its second Copa Libertadores title. Their opponent is one of Chile's biggest teams, Universidad Católica, which is going through a difficult period in its domestic league but has a long history in local competitions. The team has also already won a Copa Libertadores and an Inter-American Cup.

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Currently, the team boasts dangerous players like Diaz, Mirosevic, and Morales, and is coming to Rio de Janeiro to try to chip away at the Brazilian champions at the Maracanã. And for fans unfamiliar with UC, Flamengo's official website has prepared an in-depth look at this first rival of the Red-Blacks on their way to their second Copa Libertadores title.

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Check out below a brief history of Universidad Católica, its strengths, its record against Flamengo and the analysis of coach Andrade and observer Paulo Henrique about the team.

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Story: Club Deportivo Universidad Católica, officially founded on April 21, 1937, in Santiago, has won nine Chilean Championships, among other titles, such as the Copa Chile and the disputed Pre-Libertadores Liguillas. Internationally, it is the second most important Chilean club, having reached the Copa Libertadores final in 1993 and won the Copa Interamericana title in 1994, defeating Deportivo Saprissa. It remains the second Chilean club in terms of appearances and results in the Copa Libertadores, trailed by the third-place team.

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Universidad Católica's traditional rival is Universidad de Chile, against whom it played the biggest Chilean derby for many years, and also Colo-Colo, with whom it has won several Chilean Championships and Chilean Cups, in addition to having faced them in 16 Copa Libertadores matches. Various public opinion polls rank Universidad Católica as the club with the third-largest fan base in Chilean football. According to an April 2008 poll conducted nationwide by the newspaper La Tercera, the club enjoys 9% of Chilean support.

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Current Moment: Last Saturday, Universidad lost 2-1 to league leaders Unión Española away from home, with a goal in the 44th minute of the second half. Prior to that, the team had lost 2-0 at home to seventh-place Cobresal and drawn 1-1 with 17th-place San Luis away from home. The last victory came on February 2nd: a 4-0 victory over Santiago Morning, currently 14th in the standings. In a poll published on the UC's official website as of this afternoon, of the more than 6 votes asking for predictions about the game's outcome, 59% believe the team will lose at Maracanã. Only 4% believe in a draw, and 37% see a chance of victory.

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Time-Base: Garcés, Fuentes, Henríquez, Martinez; Valenzuela, Ormeño, Silva, Toloza; Mirosevic, Díaz; Morales.

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Coach Andrade's opinion: Their team takes its time, values ​​possession, plays with three defenders and two defensive midfielders, and also uses set pieces extensively. We can't afford to slip up on these types of plays or lose points like that again. So we have to be very careful, especially with aerial balls.

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Opinion of observer Paulo Henrique: They have a very good team. Right-back [Rodrigo] Valenzuela is on the Chilean national team. [Right-sided midfielder Milovan] Mirosevic has great passing ability and gets forward well. Argentine Damián Díaz, who shares the creative responsibility, is also very good. Mirosevic plays on the right side and Díaz on the left. They play a 3-3-3-1 system, forming a three-man midfield line with striker Morales, who scored two goals in that first game. Morales is a player who moves around the box a lot but rarely goes out; he's more of a reference point.

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Opinion of expert Alejandro Saavedra (Chilean journalist): UC has just signed defender Waldo Ponce, who was originally scheduled to go to Zaragoza. Mirosevic and Damián Diaz form a duo to be feared. They play very well together. They control the ball well and organize the midfield into the opposing penalty area. Both are capable of finishing on goal, but their main strength is their passing for goal-scoring plays. Mirosevic is the soul of the team, captain, and leader. He's one of those players capable of single-handedly solving problems and scoring goals if the team is struggling. Both have teams built on the strength of last season's championship.

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Few players left, and only made changes to strengthen the squad to face multiple championships simultaneously. UC has the reputation of playing very well, but the results don't reflect this beautiful game. They always concede goals in the final minutes. Morales has the ability to shoot from long range, surprise in the box, and steal balls. Damián Díaz and Mirosevic play to supply him. He has a good start, can counterattack, and be lethal. On a good day, he rarely misses chances.

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Retrospect: Flamengo has never beaten Universidad Católica. In two matches played, both in the 2002 Copa Libertadores, they lost twice:

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CR Flamengo 1 x 3 Catholic University (Chile) Copa Libertadores da América 14/02/2002
CR Flamengo 1 x 2 Catholic University (Chile) Copa Libertadores da América 13/03/2002