The great day has come. Flamengo and Athletico decide the final of Libertadores 2022 this Saturday, at the Monumental stadium. The ball rolls from 5 pm (Brasilia time) in Guayaquil, Ecuador.
Flamengo enters the field for 90 minutes that could mean one of the greatest seasons in the club’s history. In case of a Libertadores title, the year 2022 will be there in the pantheon where 1981 and 2019 are already, with national and international achievements.
Dorival counts on maximum strength, for the duel soon. After being without João Gomes in the decision of the Copa do Brasil, the coach confirmed the lineup that the fan used to decorate from the “Team of Cups” from Santos to Pedro. At the bank, Arturo Vidal is also recovering from a minor surgical procedure performed a week ago and is available. The Carioca Rubro-Negro arrived in Ecuador with 29 players and only three casualties due to injury: Rodrigo Caio, Bruno Henrique and Varela.
Athletico arrives again in the Libertadores final after 17 years and seeks the unprecedented title. In a cup-bearing cycle, Hurricane won the South American Championship (2018-2021) and the Copa do Brasil (2019). With the 2001 Brazilian, the biggest continental cup is the only one missing from the club’s trophy gallery between the main tournaments in Brazil and South America. For the game, Felipão has a full squad.
Felipão remains a mystery in the initial formation, but intends to strengthen the midfield to try to stop Flamengo. With this, the team uses an unprecedented system that has three defensive midfielders, a midfielder and two forwards. The doubt is between Erick and Hugo Moura as the first man in the middle. Felipão still has a plan B that would be the entry of a defender, as he did in the quarterfinals of the Copa do Brasil, for the departure of an offensive player.
Guesses:
Regarding the number of goals, it is likely that the match will have more than one goal scored. Although a single final is a tense game in which both teams avoid taking risks, Flamengo is a very offensive team and in a final they shouldn’t be comfortable with a zero to zero.
In addition, if one of the teams scores a first goal, the tendency is for the other to “come up”, which implies greater chances of an equalizing goal or an expansion of the advantage in a counterattack.
Still in that line of goals, although the last two games between the teams had few goals, the average of the last five matches suggests at least 2 goals in Saturday’s match.
Regarding corners, and analyzing the last five between the two red-blacks, in four we had 10 corners and in one we had six. So, conservatively, she bets on at least three corners for Flamengo (more purposeful) and two for Athletico.
