The first note of the special correspondent of the newspaper Throwingto cover the match against Independiente del Valle in Ecuador for the first leg of the 2023 South American Cup Winners’ Cup this Tuesday (7:30 p.m., at the Banco Guayaquil Stadium) highlights a factor feared by the country’s clubs and national team: the height of Ecuador’s capital.

It says information from Throwing: “The red-black delegation has been on the soil of Ecuador since Sunday evening and has already carried out the only activity in Quito. Flamengo coach Vítor Pereira is trying to get used to the 2,800 meters above sea level in the city (Quito).

Filipe Luís: We will have to do something very special to stop Independiente del Valle

Independiente del Valle and Flamengo will once again play in the final of the South American Cup Winners’ Cup as they did in 2020, when the Rio de Janeiro team won the trophy with a 5-2 aggregate victory at the Maracanã Stadium. History will repeat itself as it is: the Ecuadorians will host the first game this Tuesday in their stronghold of Chillo Jijón, as monarchs of the Copa Sudamericana against the so-called ‘Mengão’ as owners of the Libertadores.

Flamengo suffers, but wins third place in the Club World Cup

heavy casualties

But the geographical aspect is not left out for the Cariocas either. “The effect of altitude on the players is a concern of the coaching staff. Flamengo have suffered from physical problems in recent weeks, with Gerson and Marinho falling victim at the last minute,” he reports. Throwing.

It is added that “the absence of Joker is the coach’s main challenge for the match. Arturo Vidal is a natural replacement but, in his first test, Vítor Pereira formed a midfield with the two players mentioned above, as well as Thiago Maio and Arrascaeta. If you decide on a sector with more striking power, the alternative is to keep Everton Ribeiro on the bench due to the entry of Erick Pulgaro”.

Casualties due to physical discomfort in center Léa Pereira (start), winger Filipe Luís (alternating position with Ayrton), winger Marinho (substitute) and substitute goalkeeper Hugo have also been added. Long-term injured striker Bruno Henrique did not arrive in Ecuador either.

What does Anselma say

Flamengo is “today the club with the highest hierarchy on the continent”, said Argentine Martín Anselmi, the black and blue strategist.

He added that “we have to try to make a difference here. We play at home, on our field, with our people, it’s a game we have to play and then go to the Maracana to be ourselves, to never give up.” However, Flamengo is by no means an accessible rival. “I like the kill-kill because at the end I think it has a challenge,” Anselmi said.

Independiente has barely played an official game since October, when it beat Brazil’s Sao Paulo 2-0 in the 2022 Copa Sudamericana individual final to close out its participation in the annual national championship, placing third with 56 points from 30 games. Less than two weeks ago, they faced Aucas, the current local monarch, from Quito, whom they defeated 3-0 in the final of the Ecuadorian Super Cup.

This is how Flamengo works

Flamengo, on the other hand, had intense high-level activity after beating Athletico Paranaense 1-0 in the Libertadores final, also in October. They suffered a heavy setback when they finished third at the recent Club World Cup in Morocco 2023, when they were tipped to play in the final with Real Madrid, but were knocked out 3-2 by Saudi Arabia’s Al Hilal in the semi-finals. In this tournament, he then achieved a pale third place, defeating Egypt’s Al Ahly 4-2. Before that, they experienced another setback, this time in the Brazilian Super Cup against Palmeiras, which they lost 4-3.

The return of the South American Cup Winners’ Cup is scheduled for next February 28 in Rio de Janeiro. In the event of a tied score and goal difference, an extra time of 30 minutes will be played, and if the situation continues, a penalty kick will be played.

(D)