In a rematch from the 2022 Copa do Brasil final, Flamengo and Corinthians will square off a round earlier this year, with the opening leg taking place on Wednesday at the Maracana.
Urubu claimed a pair of 1-0 triumphs versus Bahia to advance into this stage for a fourth successive occasion, while Corinthians are here for a third consecutive time after defeating Juventude 3-1 and winning that tie 4-3 on aggregate.
Match preview
A new chapter in the illustrious history of Flamengo begins this week with Filipe Luis appointed as interim manager in place of the man who selected him to the Brazil squad for the 2018 World Cup, Tite.
This team's inconsistencies under the former Selecao boss ultimately led to his sacking, with Mengao winning just one of their previous five competitive fixtures and exiting the Copa Libertadores quarter-finals against Penarol (1-0 on aggregate).
Their 1-0 defeat versus the Uruguayans in that competition is the only loss this team have suffered in their previous 10 competitive games played at the Maracana.
Luis experienced many successful seasons as a player with this club, helping them win consecutive Brasileiro Serie A titles in 2019 and 2020, and he was a part of their previous Copa do Brasil-winning squad in 2022.
At this tournament in 2024, Flamengo have a 100% home record, without a goal conceded in those three encounters played in Rio de Janeiro.
Flamengo have won their previous four semi-final fixtures in this tournament and have not lost a match at this stage of the Copa do Brasil since the second leg of their tie with Athletico Paranaense in 2021 (3-0).
Some late drama and a little luck has Corinthians back in the semi-finals of this competition with a chance to exercise their demons from a year ago.
Down 2-1 heading into the second leg against Juve, Timao were eight minutes away from exiting this tournament before an own-goal levelled that tie at 3-3, with the home side finding a winner in the 97th minute.
At this stage in 2023, Timao had a 2-1 lead heading into their return fixture with Sao Paulo and could not hang on, suffering a 2-0 defeat and exiting the competition.
Ramon Diaz has lost four of his last five away matches in charge of this team across all competitions, winning only one knockout fixture in the Copa do Brasil this year in normal time.
After winning their first three preliminary fixtures in this tournament, Corinthians have failed to triumph in their last two knockout matches in this competition, scoring only once in those two encounters.
It has been over 16 years since Time do Povo lost an opening-leg semi-final encounter in this competition (2-1 at Botafogo in 2008), while they claimed a 0-0 draw at the Maracana in this stage of the 2018 Copa do Brasil.
Team News
On Wednesday, Flamengo will be without Everton, who is done for the season due to an Achilles tendon injury, while Matias Vina and Pedro will not return before the end of the campaign because of a knee and ACL issue, respectively.
Michael is expected to be away until late October with a sore thigh, while a knee injury sustained by Luiz Araujo will keep him out until at least early November.
Giorgian de Arrascaeta had the only goal in their quarter-final second-leg match against Bahia as Matheus Cunha collected his second successive clean sheet of the tournament.
For this upcoming fixture, Ruan Oliveira is expected to be sidelined for Corinthians due to an ACL issue, Diego Palacios has a sore knee, while Alex Santana and Talles Magno are doubtful because of thigh injuries.
Andre Ramalho and Fagner are eligible to play on Wednesday despite both players being sent off in their defeat to Sao Paulo this past weekend in the Brasileiro Serie A.
Angel Romero gave them a 1-0 lead in their second leg fixture with Juventude before Hugo Souza and Ze Marcos scored own-goals for each side, while a Ramalho strike in the closing stages enabled Corinthians to advance.
Flamengo possible starting lineup:
Rossi; Varela, Bruno, Luiz, Ayrton; Pulgar, Ortiz; Gerson, Araujo, de Arrascaeta; B. Henrique
Corinthians possible starting lineup:
Souza; Fagner, Ramalho, G. Henrique, Bidu; Maycon, Charles; Romero, Garro; Depay, Alberto
We say: Flamengo 1-0 Corinthians
Luis may be inexperienced as a manager at this level, but he knows what it takes to win matches in this competition, and we have confidence he will get the best of his players in the opening leg.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
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