Flamengo travels to Colombia this Monday to face Club Independiente Santa Fe this Wednesday in the fourth round of the Copa Libertadores. The teams are in Group 4 and are beginning the second leg of the group stage. The match will be played at 21:45 PM (Brasília time) at the El Campín stadium, Santa Fe's home ground, in Bogotá. The following day, at 19:15 PM, River Plate will host Emelec at the Monumental de Núñez in the other match of the group. 

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SANTA FE VS FLAMENGO

The teams have only faced each other once in the history of the competition. Last Wednesday, in front of a Maracanã stadium with closed gates, The teams drew 1-1.Goals by Dourado for Flamengo and Morelo for Santa Fe. The Colombians are in their 12th Libertadores appearance, their sixth consecutive. They have never won the competition. 

HOW IS THE GROUP DOING?

Flamengo and River Plate have virtually identical campaigns in Group 4. Both have one win and two draws, totaling five points, but Flamengo has two more goals, putting them in the lead. River Plate still has two home games, this Thursday and in the final round against Flamengo. Flamengo will only play at home once, against Emelec on May 16th at the Maracanã. And that will be the only time in this phase, as the team played two matches behind closed doors due to punishments imposed by CONMEBOL. 

HOW IT LOOKS

If Flamengo wins on Wednesday (and they will), they will reach eight points in a great position in the group, opening a five-point lead over Santa Fe and seven over Emelec, making it impossible for the Ecuadorians to catch them. Santa Fe will face a do-or-die game against River Plate at home, while Flamengo will also play at home against Emelec. In case of a draw, Flamengo will have six points and Santa Fe will have four, but River Plate will have the... grill They have the advantage of taking the lead. Since Flamengo still has a home game and the Argentinians are away, the situation could be reversed, but the group's outcome will ultimately be decided in the final round.

WHO TRAVELS

Flamengo departed for Colombia on Monday morning. Twenty-three players were selected for the match. You can see the list below. 

Defender Rhodolfo is still in the transition phase to return to the team and therefore did not travel. 

THE PLAYING FIELD

Santa Fe plays at the Nemesio Camacho stadium, known as El Campín, the main stadium in Bogotá. It shares the space with Millonarios, and the name "Campín" comes from a pun on the site's former use as a campsite. 

The stadium is a prestigious playing field. Home to the Colombian national team in the capital, Bogotá, it has hosted the 1971 Pan American Games, three Copa América finals (1964, 1975 and 2001), several World Cup qualifying matches, the 1989 Copa Libertadores final (won by Atlético Nacional against Olimpia), the 1996 Copa CONMEBOL final, won by Lanús against Santa Fe itself, and other historic matches. It was on this pitch that Santa Fe won the 2015 Copa Sudamericana, in the final against Huracán.

Although it has hosted more than 65 people at a national team match, today its capacity is 33 fans. It will probably be a cauldron. Another factor that the Colombians take full advantage of is the much-talked-about altitude. Bogotá is the third highest capital in the world, at 2.640 meters above sea level. It's no La Paz (more than 1000 meters higher), but yes, the air is thinner, the ball "changes its mind in flight," and breathing becomes a little difficult. Nobody said it would be easy. 

El Campín is also home to some of Bogotá's biggest concerts. Paul McCartney, Guns N' Roses, Lady Gaga, Luciano Pavarotti, the Rolling Stones, Kiss, James Brown, and others have played there. Wednesday will be Flamengo's turn. 

PREPARATION

After their 2-0 victory over América-MG on Saturday, Flamengo rested on Sunday and scheduled their trip for early Monday morning. The expected arrival time is 14:35 PM (local time), and the team will train at Campincito at 19 PM that same day. Following that, they will inspect the pitch at El Campín. On Tuesday, at 16 PM (local time), they will hold another training session at Campincito. The match will be at 19:45 PM Bogotá time, which is two hours behind ours. The team returns to Brazil immediately after the game, with an expected arrival in Rio on Thursday at 10:50 AM. 

TICKETS

If a Flamengo fan is in Bogotá and wants to go to the game, they can buy a ticket on-site, at the ticket office. Tickets for the Occidental General Norte stadium cost 69.000 Colombian Pesos, approximately R$ 84,00. A passport or foreign ID is required for entry. See below for the designated section for the Nation.

Now we just have to wait for the game to start. Follow the team's daily updates in Colombia on our social media channels. Follow us on Twitter, at  Instagram and like our page on Facebook. FlaTV also brings exclusive behind-the-scenes and match footage to the Rubro-Negra Nation. Sign up with one click, it's free!