Independiente del Valle vs Flamengo ‘worried about height’ in Recopa Sudamericana first leg | football | sports

The first note of the Special Envoy to the newspaper Throw, to cover the duel against Independiente del Valle in Ecuador in the first leg of the 2023 Copa America Cup Winners’ Cup on Tuesday (7:30 pm, at Estadio Banco Guayaquil) confirms one of the factors that clubs fear and the choice of that country. : height of the capital of Ecuador.

Info says Throw: “The red and black delegation has been on Ecuadorian soil since Sunday night and has already carried out the only activity in Quito. Flamengo coach Vitor Pereira is trying to get used to the 2,800-meter altitude in the (Quito) city.”

Felipe Luis: We’ll have to do something very special to stop Independiente del Valle

Independiente del Valle and Flamengo will again participate in the final of the South American Cup Winners’ Cup, as happened in 2020, when the Rio de Janeiro team won the title with a 5-2 victory in the world class at the Maracanã stadium. History will repeat itself as it is: the Ecuadorians will host the first leg on Tuesday in their stronghold of Chilo Gijón, as the kings of the Copa Sudamericana against the so-called “Mingao” as the owner of the Libertadores.

Flamengo are struggling but they got third place in the Club World Cup

Huge losses

But the geographical aspect does not leave aside the cariocas. “The effect of altitude on the players is a matter of concern for the coaching staff. Flamengo have been suffering from physical problems in recent weeks, and Gerson and Marinho have become victims at the last moment.” Throw.

And he adds, “The absence of a joker is precisely the main challenge for the coach in the match. Arturo Vidal is the natural substitute, but in his first test, Vitor Pereira formed a midfield with the aforementioned players, in addition to Thiago Maya and Arascaita. If you choose a sector with more distinguishing power, the alternative is Keeping Everton Ribeiro on the bench due to the entry of Eric Polgar.

Also added were the losses due to physical discomfort from central Leo Pereira (starting), winger Felipe Luis (substitute with Ayrton), winger Marinho (substitute) and substitute goalkeeper Hugo. Long-injured striker Bruno Henrique did not travel to Ecuador either.

What does Anselmi say?

Black and Blues strategist Martin Anselmi estimated that Flamengo “today is the club with the highest hierarchy on the continent”.

He added, “Here we have to try to make the difference. We play on our land, on our land, with our people, it’s the game we have to play and then we go to the Maracanã to be ourselves, never give up.” “I love killing and killing because I think in the end it’s a challenge,” Anselmi said.

Independiente has not played in practice officially since October, when they beat Brazil’s Sao Paulo 2-0 in the singles final of the 2022 Copa Sudamericana and concluded their participation in the annual national championship, finishing third with 56 points in 30 matches. Less than two weeks ago, they faced Ocas, the current local monarch, from Quito, who crushed them 3-0 in the final of the Ecuadorian Super Cup.

This is what Flamingo does

On the other hand, Flamengo saw intense activity at a high level after beating Atlético Paranaense 1-0 in the Libertadores Final, also in October. He suffered a severe setback when he finished third in the last Club World Cup in Morocco 2023, as it was ruled out that he would play the final with Real Madrid, but he lost in the semi-final 3-2 with Al-Hilal of Saudi Arabia. Then, in this tournament, it achieved a dull third place by defeating Al-Ahly of Egypt 4-2. Before that, they also suffered another setback, this time in the Brazilian Super Cup against Palmeiras, with whom they lost 4-3.

The South American Cup Winners’ Cup is scheduled to return on February 28 in Rio de Janeiro. In the event of a tie on points and goal difference, there will be a 30-minute extension and if the situation continues, then it will go to definition with kicks from the penalty mark.

(Dr)