Confirmed by coach Caio Júnior as a starter for Sunday's decisive match against Atlético-PR in Curitiba, forward Vandinho is optimistic about securing a spot in next year's Copa Libertadores. According to the player, the important thing right now is for the red-and-black team to focus solely on their match and forget about the Palmeiras and Cruzeiro games.

"The Libertadores spot means a lot to the Club. We're focused and focused on securing that spot for Flamengo. We have the team to go to Curitiba and put on a great performance. We can't dwell on other games. We have to do our part and hope against. Because it's such an important game, we have to fight until the end. It's a match where we'll give our all on the field."

Vandinho praised his attacking teammates, Marcelinho Paraíba and Diego Tardelli.

"Having Marcelinho in midfield helps us a lot up front. He has a good touch and impressive vision. He also moves a lot. Diego Tardelli also drops down the flanks a lot and is very fast. He worked really well in training yesterday, and I hope we put in a good performance on Sunday."