One of the most memorable scenes from Flamengo's victory over Corinthians last Wednesday was Juan asking the red-and-black fans for help in the second half. Vibrant, the number 6 asked the fans not to show their support, and was promptly obliged. And it is with this spirit of struggle and motivation that the player heads to São Paulo, intent on returning with a place in the quarterfinals.

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Scorer of the winning goal in the 2006 Copa do Brasil, Juan has experienced moments of glory and also some historic defeats at Gávea, including the defeat to América-Mex in the red-and-black team's last Copa Libertadores appearance. This year, he hopes to make history again with a major victory.

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"The motivation is huge. We have to play our football, go out on the field with a lot of desire, with determination and show that we really want this title, because Corinthians gives enormous importance to the Libertadores and we also really want to qualify," he said.

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One of the key factors in making this dream a reality is dedication. For Juan, each match for Flamengo is like a decision from now on.

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"Every game here at Flamengo is a game to the limit. Thank God, whenever it was necessary here at Flamengo, I was good and I hope to be in this decisive match. From now on, every game is a decision and we have to be very calm to do well," he said.

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Despite being happy with last Wednesday's result, the full-back is fully aware that the team still needs to play one more game to have reason to celebrate.

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"The victory certainly improves the atmosphere, but we know it's a 180-minute game and nothing is decided. That's why we have to go out on the field with the same attitude as in the first game," he concluded.