In an activity held in Gávea, Flamengo had its last day of preparation in Rio de Janeiro before the trip to Espírito Santo, where it will face Cruzeiro for the Brazilian Championship. Commander Zé Ricardo commented on the match, which will take place this Sunday (25), and praised the support of both the Carioca Nation, who attended the morning work this Saturday (24), and the Espírito Santo Nation, who sold out all the tickets at Kléber Andrade for the next match of the Mais Querido.

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We've been taking it game by game since the beginning of the competition. It's a mindset all coaches end up adopting, but it's the reality of a championship as tough as the Brasileirão. Cruzeiro is an excellent team, and we know it will be another crucial match for us. We're prepared and hope to emerge from this match with another victory to continue this good streak.

We won't be making any major changes. The performance of some players during the match against Palestino last Wednesday was quite pleasing, despite all the wear and tear from the trip to Santiago. There may be one or two changes, but nothing too significant compared to the team that's been playing. We'll study Cruzeiro's squad a bit more before making a decision.

We opted for the 13:30 PM flight to Cariacica instead of the 17:40 PM flight because we would have spent too much time at the airport and arrived late at our destination. Time would have been very tight before we settled in and had dinner. Given the distance from the training center to Santos Dumont, we preferred to bring this work to Gávea. It was also very important to receive the support of the fans. Concentration levels are a bit reduced, which is natural, but it's also good for the athletes to receive this energy from the nation before the trip.

This undoubtedly affects the players. They feel comfortable and embraced by the people of Espírito Santo. It's a very welcoming feeling. This gives them the confidence to perform what we practice in training and, consequently, play well. It's a favorable environment, and we'll try to take advantage of it again.