Flamengo and Paranaense to face off in the single final of the Copa
Flamengo and Paranaense will face each other this Saturday in Guayaquil in the single final of the Copa.
The coach of Athletico Paranaense, Luiz Felipe Scolari, was convinced on Friday that the single match final of the 2022 Copa Libertadores could balance the scales in favor of his team, who will face the favorite Flamengo in Guayaquil on Saturday.
"We know that in specific moments and situations, teams with great quality can have some problems" and "not be the best at that moment", said the 73-year-old coach at the pre-match press conference.
Since Scolari arrived at Paranaense in May, he has faced Flamengo three times, obtaining two losses and a draw.
"We will see if tomorrow we are in all our conditions to make it difficult for Flamengo. This is a single game, which is a bit different from previous situations. We hope that we can become the winning team," added Felipao.
The World Cup champion with Brazil in 2002 reaches the final match of a Copa Libertadores for the fourth time. He won in 1995 with Gremio and repeated in 1998 with Palmeiras, although a year later he lost the final against Boca Juniors.
Back then, the finals were played in two-leg matches.
"This is a match to make the fewest amount of mistakes. We will see if we can make less mistakes than Flamengo," he added.
For Saturday, "Fla" is the favorite with two Libertadores titles in their record (1981 and 2019) and a team full of stars. Paranaense, on the other hand, is looking for their first conquest of the tournament.
However, the "Furacão" surprised by eliminating Palmeiras, the reigning two-time champion, in the semifinals. Previously, they defeated another Libertadores champion, Estudiantes de La Plata.
"If we have eliminated big teams it's because we can" win the Copa, added Scolari.
This year, Felipao had hinted at the possibility of ending his 40-year career as a coach to become the sports director of Paranaense.
But on Friday, he assured that the club's president, Mário Celso Petraglia, should be the one to decide his future.
The Paranaense team conducted a recognition of the Monumental Stadium in the afternoon. The number of fans from Paraná's red-and-black team who have arrived in Guayaquil, in southwestern Ecuador, has been considerably lower than that of Flamengo's fans. AFP