Find out everything about Flamengo's debut in the CONMEBOL Libertadores Bridgestone.
Check out the competition rules, history against foreign teams, interesting facts, and other information about the big game.
By Isabela Abirached - in
This Wednesday, March 8, 2017, is the day Flamengo returns to the Maracanã and re-enters the most important competition in South America. At 9:45 PM, the ball will roll for the match against San Lorenzo, the Rubro-Negro's debut in the CONMEBOL Libertadores Bridgestone. This is the 13th time that the beloved club has competed for the continental trophy, after being champion in its debut in 1981, and also participating in the editions of 1982 (semi-finalist), 1983, 1984 (semi-finalist), 1991 (quarter-finals), 1993 (quarter-finals), 2002, 2007 (round of 16), 2008 (round of 16), 2010 (quarter-finals), 2012 and 2014.
Fan club members get more Flamengo on game day: discounts and priority access to tickets to watch the game at the stadium and on pay-per-view, and beer to watch on TV! Click and feel the pride of being a fan club member.
Zé Ricardo's team is looking to bounce back after their penalty shootout loss in the Guanabara Cup final, but they have an excellent campaign so far this season: in ten matches this year they have eight wins and two draws, with 24 goals scored and five conceded. Paolo Guerrero, with seven goals, is the team's top scorer this year, followed by Diego with four, and Éverton and Mancuello, with three each.
Preparation
After Sunday's Fla-Flu, Flamengo returned to training on Monday afternoon at the George Helal Training Center in Vargem Grande. The players who started the classic performed regenerative training at the Flamengo Performance Excellence Center (CEP FLA). Meanwhile, the rest of the group participated in field work led by Zé Ricardo and his assistant Cleber dos Santos; the activity included striker Ederson. This Tuesday (7), training was at Maracanã, the venue for tomorrow's game.
Click here and see all the Mengão football news.
Tickets
Tickets for the North, South, East, and Maracanã Mais sections are sold out. At the time of writing, only 2.100 tickets remained in the Lower West section. Season ticket holders had priority in purchasing tickets and received a 50% discount, which can be combined with the half-price ticket. Want to take advantage of the benefits of being part of the Nação Rubro-Negra Program? Click here!
On Tuesday (7), ticket exchange points had extended hours - until 19 pm, 21 pm and 22 pm - to meet the high demand from fans, who bought many tickets online. On the day of the game, the points operate until 17 pm and ticket office 1 at Maracanã until the start of the second half of the game. Check all the information about points of sale and exchange and the documents needed to exchange tickets purchased online at www.flamengo.com.br/ingressos.
TV broadcast
Flamengo fans will be able to watch the match on TV Globo in Rio de Janeiro, Santa Catarina, Paraná (Curitiba and Foz do Iguaçu), Minas Gerais (Juiz de Fora, Uberlândia, Uberaba and Ituiutaba), Espírito Santo, Goiás, Tocantins, Mato Grosso do Sul, Mato Grosso, Bahia, Sergipe, Alagoas, Paraíba, Rio Grande do Norte, Ceará, Piauí, Pará, Amazonas, Rondônia, Acre, Roraima, Amapá and the Federal District (with commentary by Galvão Bueno and analysis by Junior and Arnaldo Cezar Coelho) and on the FOX Sports channel on pay TV. Fan club members can enjoy more Flamengo watching the game on TV: discounts on Sky packages and even on beer to watch the match! Fan club members can enjoy more Flamengo on game day: discounts and priority access on tickets to watch at the stadium and on pay-per-view, and beer to watch on TV! Click and feel the pride of being a fan club member.
New rules
For the first time, the continental tournament will be played throughout the entire season – ending in November – and will feature eight Brazilian teams. This year, new rules were also announced, such as the elimination of the limit on foreign players per team and the return of finals between teams from the same country. Furthermore, the Round of 16 matchups will now be determined by a draw; previously, the top-ranked team faced the 16th, the second-ranked team faced the 15th, and so on. The number of registered players has also changed: for the initial stages of the competition, teams must register 25 players; clubs that advance to the knockout stage can add five more players to the list, without needing to substitute any existing players.
Leading in participation among residents of Rio de Janeiro.
Champion in 1981, right in its debut in the competition, Flamengo is the Rio de Janeiro team with the most appearances in the Libertadores (13 times), surpassing Vasco (8 appearances), Fluminense (6) and Botafogo (5). Counting all Brazilian teams, only São Paulo, Palmeiras, Grêmio and Cruzeiro have played in the Libertadores more times than Flamengo.
Positive record against foreign teams
Flamengo has a positive record against foreign opponents in the history of the Copa Libertadores. The club has faced teams from outside Brazil 81 times, accumulating 45 wins, 13 draws, and 23 losses. In these games, Flamengo scored 161 goals and conceded 102.
Reunion with the hermanos
San Lorenzo is the fourth Argentine opponent that Flamengo has faced in the Libertadores Cup. In 1982, the Rubro-Negro defeated River Plate twice in the semi-final stage of the competition (3-0 in Buenos Aires and 4-2 at the Maracanã). In 1991, Flamengo faced Boca Juniors in the quarter-finals, winning 2-1 at the Maracanã, but losing 3-0 in Argentina. And finally, in 2012, the Mais Querido (Flamengo) faced Lanús twice in the group stage, drawing 1-1 in Argentina and winning 3-0 in Rio.
Speaking the same language
Today, Flamengo has seven foreign players in its squad, all from South America. Conca, Donatti, and Mancuello from Argentina, Berrío and Cuéllar from Colombia, and Guerrero and Trauco from Peru, make Flamengo the Série A team with the most players from outside Brazil. The players' native Spanish language can be a great asset in matches against foreign opponents and even in communicating with referees. Unlike the Brazilian Championship, there is no limit on the number of foreign players per team in the CONMEBOL Libertadores Bridgestone, as stipulated in this year's competition regulations.
Social media coverage
Fan club members get more Flamengo on game day: discounts and priority access to tickets to watch the game at the stadium and on pay-per-view, and beer to watch on TV! Click and feel the pride of being a fan club member.
Zé Ricardo's team is looking to bounce back after their penalty shootout loss in the Guanabara Cup final, but they have an excellent campaign so far this season: in ten matches this year they have eight wins and two draws, with 24 goals scored and five conceded. Paolo Guerrero, with seven goals, is the team's top scorer this year, followed by Diego with four, and Éverton and Mancuello, with three each.
Preparation
After Sunday's Fla-Flu, Flamengo returned to training on Monday afternoon at the George Helal Training Center in Vargem Grande. The players who started the classic performed regenerative training at the Flamengo Performance Excellence Center (CEP FLA). Meanwhile, the rest of the group participated in field work led by Zé Ricardo and his assistant Cleber dos Santos; the activity included striker Ederson. This Tuesday (7), training was at Maracanã, the venue for tomorrow's game.
Click here and see all the Mengão football news.
Tickets
Tickets for the North, South, East, and Maracanã Mais sections are sold out. At the time of writing, only 2.100 tickets remained in the Lower West section. Season ticket holders had priority in purchasing tickets and received a 50% discount, which can be combined with the half-price ticket. Want to take advantage of the benefits of being part of the Nação Rubro-Negra Program? Click here!
On Tuesday (7), ticket exchange points had extended hours - until 19 pm, 21 pm and 22 pm - to meet the high demand from fans, who bought many tickets online. On the day of the game, the points operate until 17 pm and ticket office 1 at Maracanã until the start of the second half of the game. Check all the information about points of sale and exchange and the documents needed to exchange tickets purchased online at www.flamengo.com.br/ingressos.
TV broadcast
Flamengo fans will be able to watch the match on TV Globo in Rio de Janeiro, Santa Catarina, Paraná (Curitiba and Foz do Iguaçu), Minas Gerais (Juiz de Fora, Uberlândia, Uberaba and Ituiutaba), Espírito Santo, Goiás, Tocantins, Mato Grosso do Sul, Mato Grosso, Bahia, Sergipe, Alagoas, Paraíba, Rio Grande do Norte, Ceará, Piauí, Pará, Amazonas, Rondônia, Acre, Roraima, Amapá and the Federal District (with commentary by Galvão Bueno and analysis by Junior and Arnaldo Cezar Coelho) and on the FOX Sports channel on pay TV. Fan club members can enjoy more Flamengo watching the game on TV: discounts on Sky packages and even on beer to watch the match! Fan club members can enjoy more Flamengo on game day: discounts and priority access on tickets to watch at the stadium and on pay-per-view, and beer to watch on TV! Click and feel the pride of being a fan club member.
New rules
For the first time, the continental tournament will be played throughout the entire season – ending in November – and will feature eight Brazilian teams. This year, new rules were also announced, such as the elimination of the limit on foreign players per team and the return of finals between teams from the same country. Furthermore, the Round of 16 matchups will now be determined by a draw; previously, the top-ranked team faced the 16th, the second-ranked team faced the 15th, and so on. The number of registered players has also changed: for the initial stages of the competition, teams must register 25 players; clubs that advance to the knockout stage can add five more players to the list, without needing to substitute any existing players.
Leading in participation among residents of Rio de Janeiro.
Champion in 1981, right in its debut in the competition, Flamengo is the Rio de Janeiro team with the most appearances in the Libertadores (13 times), surpassing Vasco (8 appearances), Fluminense (6) and Botafogo (5). Counting all Brazilian teams, only São Paulo, Palmeiras, Grêmio and Cruzeiro have played in the Libertadores more times than Flamengo.
Positive record against foreign teams
Flamengo has a positive record against foreign opponents in the history of the Copa Libertadores. The club has faced teams from outside Brazil 81 times, accumulating 45 wins, 13 draws, and 23 losses. In these games, Flamengo scored 161 goals and conceded 102.
Reunion with the hermanos
San Lorenzo is the fourth Argentine opponent that Flamengo has faced in the Libertadores Cup. In 1982, the Rubro-Negro defeated River Plate twice in the semi-final stage of the competition (3-0 in Buenos Aires and 4-2 at the Maracanã). In 1991, Flamengo faced Boca Juniors in the quarter-finals, winning 2-1 at the Maracanã, but losing 3-0 in Argentina. And finally, in 2012, the Mais Querido (Flamengo) faced Lanús twice in the group stage, drawing 1-1 in Argentina and winning 3-0 in Rio.
Speaking the same languageToday, Flamengo has seven foreign players in its squad, all from South America. Conca, Donatti, and Mancuello from Argentina, Berrío and Cuéllar from Colombia, and Guerrero and Trauco from Peru, make Flamengo the Série A team with the most players from outside Brazil. The players' native Spanish language can be a great asset in matches against foreign opponents and even in communicating with referees. Unlike the Brazilian Championship, there is no limit on the number of foreign players per team in the CONMEBOL Libertadores Bridgestone, as stipulated in this year's competition regulations.
Social media coverage
You can also follow the live updates on Flamengo's official social media channels using the hashtag #FLAxSLO. Follow us on Twitter and Instagram, like our page on Facebook and follow us on Snapchat (cr_flamengo). FlaTV also brings exclusive behind-the-scenes and match footage to the Red-Black Nation. Sign up with one click, for free.