Flamengo faces Nova Iguaçu this Saturday, at 4 pm (Brasília time), at Maracanã. The confrontation is valid for the third round of the Carioca Championship and will be another day of tests for the rubro-negro team before the Supercopa do Brasil, scheduled for next Saturday, 28.
This afternoon’s game will be an opportunity for some players who haven’t had many minutes at the beginning of the year. Vítor Pereira wants to balance the squad a little in the two games that are left before the Super Cup against Palmeiras. So the tendency is for Flamengo to go to the field with the reserves. The big news is the likely return of Filipe Luís, recovered from injury.
Lackluster since his debut, Carlos Vitor of Nova Iguaçu is looking for his first victory in the competition. With Bruninho suspended after a red card against Fluminense, the left wing will change compared to the last few games. Forwards Andrey Dias and Nathan Palafoz are the team’s hope valves.
Flemish Analysis
After two wins and a draw, the home team arrives in this 3rd round in 1st place, with six points conquered. In the previous round, they tied in an away match against Madureira by (0‑0), after in the first match in this group stage they have won by (4‑1) at home against Portuguesa RJ. In the last 10 home games, Flamengo has six wins, one draw and three defeats. The team conceded goals to their opponents in seven of the last 10 games, so their defense needs to improve, but their attack has scored regularly, as they managed to achieve goals in eight of the last 10 games. There are 2 periods that stand out in the last 20 home games for all competitions: they have conceded five of their 14 goals between minutes (31’‑45′) and five of their 14 goals between (76’‑90′).
Analysis Nova Iguaçu
After a draw and a defeat, the visiting team arrives in this 3rd round in 9th place, with a point conquered. In the previous round, they lost in an away match against Fluminense, by (1‑0), after in the first match in this group stage they tied by (0‑0) at home against Volta Redonda. In the last 10 games as a visitor Nova Iguaçu won three, drew three and lost four. Defensive solidity has not been their strong point, having conceded goals in 7 of the last 10 games. In their away games there is a tendency for few goals, since 12 of their last 29 games ended with Under 1.5 goals and 18 out of 29 ended with Under 2.5 goals. This is a team that rarely scores first and that only managed to open the scoring in two of its last 15 games, of these two it reached the break in advantage in all but never managed to maintain the advantage until the end of the 90′. In 15 games, he only managed two comebacks on the scoreboard in the seven games in which he conceded the first goal.
