Despite the heavy rain that battered Rio de Janeiro on Thursday, the Flamengo team returned to training at Gávea. Adriano, who joins the Brazilian National Team on Saturday, was excused from training, as was Kleberson. Midfielder Fernando also felt the effects of the rain and worked out in the gym with some of the starters. Meanwhile, the reserves held a practice match under the watchful eye of coach Andrade, who has yet to decide on the starting lineup for the match against Macaé next Saturday.

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Goalkeeper Bruno remains doubtful for the team's debut in the Taça Rio. The number 1 reveals he is already feeling much better from the pain that kept him out of Wednesday's match; however, his participation in the game against Macaé still depends on an evaluation in Friday's training session. Despite the possible absences, Leonardo Moura remains confident in winning the second round of the State Championship.

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"In the Carioca Championship, Flamengo will go all out to win the second round. It's very important that we have a squad capable of competing well in both competitions. We'll be losing Adriano and Kleberson to the national team, but we trust the players who will replace them," said the full-back in an interview with Arena SporTV.

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The main news from Thursday's training session, however, was the presence of Chilean player Maldonado. The midfielder is back training with the group. He clearly felt the lack of match fitness, but he is gradually beginning the final phase of his recovery.