One of the games of the season will take place in Brazil on Thursday evening as Campeonato Brasileiro Serie A leaders, Flamengo, take on second-place Cruzeiro.
The former lead the latter by four points but also have a game in hand, and just as importantly, Flamengo are some 14 points ahead of fifth-place Botafogo - again with a game in hand - in the race for qualification to the CONMEBOL Libertadores group stage for next season, with only 12 games left after this match-up.
No losses in 11 league games for Flamengo
Though there is still a long way to go, were Flamengo victorious on Thursday and in their game in hand, a 10-point gap at this stage of the campaign would be almost insurmountable for Cruzeiro.
Estadio Jornalista Mario Filho (Maracana to those of a certain age) will host the game, as Flamengo, who haven't lost in the last 11 Serie A matches - including a 2-1 win against Corinthians last time out - will attempt to press home that advantage.
It shouldn't be forgotten, however, that under Leonardo Jardim, Cruzeiro have been transformed (even though they did lose their last league match 2-0 against Vasco da Gama, ending a five-match unbeaten streak in the process).
Indeed, back at the Estadio Governador Magalhaes Pinto in May, Flamengo were beaten 2-1 thanks to goals from Kaio Jorge and their former player, Gabriel Barbosa. It was one of only two league defeats for the leaders this season, the other coming at Santos in July.
Two top scorers will go head-to-head
Jorge has 15 goals to his name in Serie A this season, making him the top scorer, closely followed by the 14 goals that Flamengo's Giorgian de Arrascaeta has plundered - including one in that May fixture.
De Arrascaeta also has the most assists for his side this season (10), has had the most shots (50) and has created the most chances (44).
The size of the task that is facing the visitors can most clearly be seen by how hard it is to beat the hosts at home.
To date, in 13 Serie A home matches this season, Flamengo remain unbeaten with nine wins and four draws to their name. In fact, their run stretches back to last season, with their last home loss coming in October 2024 against Juventude.
Current form is also good, with o Fla having won four and drawn the other two. By contrast, Cruzeiro's record away from home is five wins, four draws and three losses, though in their last six, they've won four, drawn one and lost just one.
Good news for Cruzeiro
Some good news for the visitors is that they may have a full squad to choose from.
On loan from Bournemouth, Luis Sinisterra is back in training, and the expectation is that he will return for the game.
"He (Sinisterra) has already started integration work, let’s see if this week we can get him to train well and count on his presence in the game,” Jardim noted in his recent press conference.
He'll be joined by Barbosa and Lucas Villalba after both were suspended for the weekend defeat to Vasco.
Luckily for Cruzeiro, none of the seven players who were one card away from a suspension themselves, including stalwarts Fabricio Bruno, Matheus Pereira and Kaio Jorge, got themselves in the referee's notebook.
Jorge in particular would've been a huge miss, given that aside from being their top scorer, he's also got the joint most assists (six), taken the most shots (74) and had the most attempts on target (30).
Flamengo have lost this fixture just once in the last six
Looking at the head-to-head record in the last six Serie A fixtures, Flamengo have lost just once - the fixture in May 2025. Prior to that match, they had drawn one and won the other four.
Never a high-scoring game during that time, only once - back in 2023 - had a game been decided by more than one goal.
That may change after Flamengo's recent run of good form, plus the fact that they have scored 50 goals in the league this season and conceded only 12 - no team has a better record in either respect.
They also lead the league rankings in terms of total shots (357), shots on target (136), conversion rate (20%), total passes (13,743), pass accuracy (89%) and clean sheets (13).
First goal to determine the winner?
Both teams have won nine and drawn one in games they've been leading at half-time this season, and if they score first, Flamengo have gone on to win 14 times, draw on three occasions and lose none, whilst Cruzeiro have won 14 times, drawn once and lost twice.
What's also intriguing about the game itself is that Cruzeiro have both scored (10) and conceded (five) the most goals in the 15 minutes leading up to half-time, whilst Flamengo have scored (10) and conceded (five) in the final 15 minutes of the game. Only during minutes 60-75 have o Fla conceded more (11).
What's clear is that this top-of-the-table clash has all of the ingredients to be a classic, with the only question being whether Cruzeiro have the ability to stop the Flamengo juggernaut.
