Flamengo v Internacional

It’s Game Week 2 of the Brasileirão, and reigning champions Flamengo are set to open their home campaign. Can Internacional take anything back to Porto Alegre?

Flamengo v Internacional – Maracana 23.00 CET

Team News:

Flamengo are without key central midfielder Jorginho with suspension. Defensive midfielders Danilo and Erick Pulgar are injured as is back up midfielder Nicolas de la Cruz.

Internacional miss defensive midfielder Bruno Gomes.

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Formations:

4-2-3-1 is Flamengo’s usual style. They like to play possession-based football. A high defensive line that can be quite narrow. European style really with high intensity pressing and ball recovery.

4-2-3-1 is Internacional’s preferred style also. Will mirror the home side as they are similar in approach. Paulo Pezzolano is from the same school as Felipe Luis. They are more defensive than the home side being the only negative.

Statistics:

Referee: Rodrigo Jose Pereira de Lima (Average cards 5.60 Yellow 0.37 Red per game)

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Match Preview:

Flamengo’s opening defeat to São Paulo was a heated encounter, made worse by Jorginho’s red card.  Even so, they hold a strong recent record against Internacional, going seven matches unbeaten in this fixture. Internacional also began their campaign poorly, losing at home to Athletico despite dominating possession but creating few meaningful chances.

Betting Preview:

Both teams opened the Brasileirão with defeats, making this a crucial match for getting back on track. Internacional will approach the trip to the Maracanã cautiously, aiming primarily to avoid defeat and strike on the counter. Flamengo should have enough quality to eventually break down the visitors.