Flamengo will meet Coritiba on Saturday at 16:00 ET at Maracanã in the 18th round of the Brasileirão, with the home side carrying 10 absences and little margin to waste. The game comes days after Flamengo asked for it to be postponed because of the number of unavailable players, but the CBF rejected the request and kept the schedule in place.
That makes the match more than a routine league date for a team sitting second in the table. Flamengo is seven points behind Palmeiras, though it still has a game in hand, and the pressure to stay in touch has only grown after the 3-0 loss to Palmeiras at Maracanã in the previous round. Saturday now becomes a chance to answer that setback immediately, with the title race still open and the gap not yet closed.
The live broadcast will be carried by sportv and Premiere, while ge will follow the game in real time with exclusive videos. Flamengo’s probable lineup points to Rossi; Emerson Royal, Léo Ortiz, Vitão and Ayrton Lucas; Evertton Araújo, Pulgar and Luiz Araújo; Samuel Lino, Bruno Henrique or Saúl, and Pedro. Rossi is expected back after spending the last game on the bench, but the bigger issue is the list around him: Danilo, Léo Pereira, Alex Sandro, Lucas Paquetá, Carrascal, Varela, Arrascaeta, De la Cruz, Plata and Jorginho are all out through call-ups, injury or suspension.
The absences are large enough that Flamengo may need to lean on younger players, a scenario it tried to avoid by seeking a postponement. Instead, the club has to fill the gaps and play on. For Coritiba, the trip arrives at a good moment. Fernando Seabra’s side is sixth and wants to move into the Libertadores qualification zone, helped by the third-best away campaign in the league, behind Palmeiras and Flamengo.
Lucas Ronier adds one more watch point for the visitors. He went through intensive treatment during the week after improvement in muscle edema in the back of his right thigh and was listed as a novelty in the squad, with a place among the substitutes expected. Coritiba’s attack is set to again feature Lavega, Breno Lopes and Pedro Rocha, and the team now has a clear target of leaving Maracanã with a result that keeps its own push alive.
By kickoff, Flamengo will have to solve the problem it could not postpone: how to stay in the chase with a depleted squad and no second chance for the calendar.
