Before the draw for the home team for the Copa do Brasil, this Monday (28), at the headquarters of the CBF, in Rio de Janeiro, Flamengo players Filipe Luís and Everton Ribeiro and coach Jorge Sampaoli answered questions from the presenter of the event, Lívia Torres, and highlighted the greatness of a possible title of the competition.
Current champion of the Copa do Brasil, Flamengo will play the first match at home, in Maracanã, on September 17th. São Paulo will play the decisive match at home, in Morumbi, on the 24th.
“Special moment, we had to go through difficult teams, we had to concentrate to reach the final. We face it as if it were the first, we really want this title. We will prepare well to be able to play two great games”, commented Everton Ribeiro.
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“It is a great privilege to be able to play in another Copa do Brasil final, a competition that I grew up dreaming of winning. Last year I was able to touch this beautiful trophy. This year we have another chance. Due to the greatness of this game, against a team like São Paulo, we will find a crowded, beautiful Morumbi, and Maracanã with a wonderful party”, said Filipe Luís.
Until the final, Flamengo, which entered the third phase of the Copa do Brasil, eliminated Maringá-PR, Fluminense, Athletico Paranaense and Grêmio. Rubro-Negro is looking for the fifth title of the competition to equal the second biggest winner, Grêmio.
On the other hand, the team from Rio will face São Paulo, which dreams of winning the tournament for the first time. Despite not deciding at home, Jorge Sampaoli minimized the fact of facing a crowded Morumbi in the return game and highlighted the good football of São Paulo as the great factor of difficulty for the team.
“I think that demanding command now is circumstantial. We know that we have to try to win both games to be champion. The difficulty will not be the command, but São Paulo”, said Sampaoli.
Only in the decision, the CBF will pay R$ 100 million to the finalists: R$ 70 million to the champion and R$ 30 million to the runner-up.
