Flamengo are on the verge of a fourth successive trip to the semi-finals of the Copa do Brasil as they prepare to face Bahia on Thursday at the Maracana.
An early second-half strike was all the four-time winners of this tournament would need to claim a 1-0 victory over Bahia in the opening leg of this quarter-final tie.
Match preview
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Back in Bahia late last month, Flamengo managed to do a lot with very little, scoring on their only targeted effort and still winning.
It is the second successive season that they find themselves in front after the opening leg of a Copa do Brasil quarter-final, and they have never been eliminated at this stage of the competition when winning the first match.
Throughout this tournament, they have been among the toughest sides to break down defensively, conceding just a single goal in five games.
Tite's men are unbeaten in their previous six matches across all competitions at the Maracana, winning five of those encounters.
Flamengo have only suffered one home defeat at the Copa do Brasil since the beginning of 2021, with Sao Paulo beating them 1-0 in the opening leg of the 2023 final and the side from Rio losing that tie 2-1 on aggregate.
They have won nine consecutive matches versus Bahia while going unbeaten in their previous 10 fixtures against them at home.
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Despite their best efforts in the first leg, it proved to be in vain for Bahia, who suffered their first defeat at the Copa do Brasil this year.
That has them on the verge of a second successive exit at this stage of the competition, with Gremio knocking them out of the quarter-finals on penalties a year ago.
Rogerio Ceni's men are winless in their last three competitive fixtures, failing to find the back of the net on two of those occasions.
Losing the opening leg of a tie in this tournament does not bode well for them, seeing as they have never advanced from a two-leg tie after being defeated in the opener.
In their last five competitive fixtures away from home, Bahia have only emerged victorious once, defeating Gremio 2-0 in Brasileiro Serie A action earlier in the year.
Bahiaco have not beaten Flamengo at the Maracana since claiming a 3-1 triumph against them during the 2011 domestic season.
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Team News
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For this decisive encounter, Flamengo could be missing a handful of players, including Gabriel Barbosa, Giorgian de Arrascaeta, Nicolas de la Cruz and Michael because of thigh injuries.
Meanwhile, they have three players who have been ruled out for the remainder of the season, including Everton, who tore his Achilles tendon, Matias Vina has a knee issue and Pedro is out with a problem in his ACL.
Bruno Henrique had the only goal in the opening leg of this tie last month, as Matheus Cunha made three stops to pick up a clean sheet.
When these sides previously met, Bahia were missing Nicolas Acevedo, with the New York City FC loanee recovering from an ACL injury.
Because of back spasms, Biel is also expected to sit out of this encounter, while Thaciano is doubtful with a bruised knee.
Cauly leads this team with two goals at this tournament and netted the only one in their previous Copa do Brasil away contest when they played to a 1-1 draw with Botafogo.
Flamengo possible starting lineup:
Cunha; Varela, Bruno, Luiz, Ayrton; Pulgar, Ortiz; L. Araujo, Carlinhos, Gerson; Henrique
Bahia possible starting lineup:
Felipe; Arias, Xavier, Kanu, Juba; Alexandre; L. Rodriguez, Lucas; Cauly; Everaldo, Thaciano
We say: Flamengo 1-0 Bahia (Flamengo advance 2-0 on aggregate)
From a psychological standpoint, Flamengo have a decisive edge, advancing beyond this phase of the tournament many times, which is not the case for Bahia.
Even with all the injuries at Mengao, having the belief they currently boast can prove invaluable in their quest to lift another major trophy.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
Joel Lefevre
