Palmeiras and Flamenco .. Who qualified for the “Abu Dhabi World Cup”?

Sao Paulo (AFP)

Reigning champion Palmeiras and his teammate Flamenco, the 2019 champion, will qualify for the final of the Copa Libertadores finals for South American clubs tomorrow at the legendary Centenario Stadium in Montevideo, Uruguay. Club World Cup in Abu Dhabi.
This is the second time in a row that two teams from Brazil have met in the Libertadores Cup final since last year’s final between Palmeras and Santos.
Nadia Palmeiras of Sao Paulo and Flamengo of Rio de Janeiro have dominated the trophies in recent years, winning 10 of the 27 local and continental titles over the past five years, including 4 local titles in the last five years (2016 and 2018). For Palmyra and the 2019 and 2020 Flamengo).
Flamenco are second in the Brazilian league, third behind Palmeras, while Atletico Miniro, led by senior strikers Hulk and Diego Costa, are almost certain to win this year’s title.
The two clubs will compete for the third Continental title in their history, with Sao Paulo, Santos and Gremio becoming the most-named Brazilian club in the tournament, the absolute record for the most independent Argentine club with 7 titles.
Flamenco, who has won the Brazilian championship for the past two seasons, enters the match and has some advantage over his opponent over his attacking game, but brilliant Palmeiras playmaker Rafael Vega thinks the balance will be equal. Be hard, we talked in the dressing rooms, joking about entering the glory and writing our names on the walls of the club.
The confrontation will be between two different styles as Flamenco involves many attackers and Palmeiras is more inclined towards defensive plans.
Flamengo is the most successful coach at the Copa Libertadores with 50 wins and the only Brazilian to win the Continental title with Gremio in 1983, also known as “Renato Coucho” by Renato Portalupi. Then coach in 2017.
“We will face a very strong team that wants to win like us, but the club and I have a chance to win the title for the third time,” said Portluppi, 59, who took office last July.
His Portuguese teammate, 42-year-old Abel Ferreira, relies on counter-attacking style, and many compare him to the style of his teammate Jose Mourinho, Rome’s current Italian coach.
His conservative style has been the subject of much criticism since he took over as coach of Palmeiras a year ago, but he has proven his mettle by leading his team to five finals, two of which were crowned last year at the Copa Libertadores and the Copa del Rey. .
Uruguay attacking midfielder Georgian de Arascatta, who returned to the Flamengo squad for the first time in 1981, was the star of his team in the semi-final against Ecuador after recovering from injury, strikers Cabicol and Bruno Henrique. Barcelona scored four goals at home and abroad.
Palmiras, on the other hand, who won his first title in 1999, will reclaim the services of his influential midfielder and senior captain, Philip Melo.
After Argentina’s Boca Juniors have won two consecutive seasons in 2000 and 2001, Palmeiras will be looking to become the first team to retain their Continental title.
Brazilian football fans have expressed outrage at the high price of tickets for the final, which ranged from $ 200 to $ 650.