Brazil's "O Rei": Palmeiras and Flamengo go for the Libertadores tetra-championship

One of the two will be the first Brazilian four-time champion of the Copa Libertadores, "O Rei." Palmeiras and Flamengo will decide Botafogo's successor as the winner of South America's biggest club tournament in the final in Lima on Saturday.

Crowds of fans of the finalists fill the streets of the capital of Peru.

A tide of torcedores of the rubro-negro team paraded Thursday afternoon with a replica of the trophy in the tourist district of Miraflores.

Long lines of fans, wearing Verdão and Mengão jerseys,were seen in the immigration area of Jorge Chávez International Airport, amid chants that thundered down the aisles.

Fla is aiming for a double: Filipe Luís's team, Brazil's most popular, is touching the local league championship at the tips of its fingers, five points ahead of Palmeiras with two games left to play.

"It's a privilege. "It's a special moment for the players," said Friday at a press conference, the coach, who returns to the dugout for the final of a tournament he conquered twice as a player in 2019 and 2022.

The Portuguese Abel Ferreira's side, in contrast, has gone five games without a win.

"It is a team with a winning spirit (...), capable of turning around results when nobody believes," warned Friday Ferreira, double continental champion as coach in 2020 and 2021.

Whoever wins, Lima's 80,000-capacity Monumental stadium will crown a Brazilian team for the seventh consecutive season.

About 50,000 Brazilian fans are expected in the city, which has been in a state of emergency since late October due to a wave of extortion and murders by organized crime.

Brasilia was postulated as an alternative in the face of parallel social protests in Lima, but the proposal did not find an echo.

The doubt of Mengão's 9

The 9 is Flamengo's biggest doubt for the final, with kickoff at 16H00 local time (21H00 GMT).

With Pedro injured and Ecuadorian Gonzalo Plata suspended, Bruno Henrique is shaping up to start, with Colombian Jorge Carrascal as an alternative.

"It's going to be a great match, with the two best teams in Brazil and South America," the 34-year-old striker projected after scoring Fla's equalizer on Tuesday as visitors against Atletico Mineiro (1-1).

Another question mark is Léo Ortiz.

The player has accelerated in training, after a right ankle injury, to form a center-back duo with Léo Pereira. Danilo, a former Manchester City and Real Madrid defender, is waiting his turn.

"They are two high-level players," Pereira stressed.

Lethal duo

Although the goal has eluded them of late, there are no secrets up front for Palmeiras, with the deadly duo of Vitor Roque and Argentine José Manuel López.

Ferreira reserved a dozen players in the match played last Tuesday by Verdão in the league, a setback against Gremio (3-2).

On Saturday, a line of three in defense and Khellven and Joaquin Piquerez as wingers looms.

Weverton's return could be a surprise, after the goalkeeper appeared in the press room alongside Ferreira. Carlos Miguel has been guarding the goal.

"The boss is the one who knows," joked the goalkeeper, sidelined since mid-October with a fractured right hand.

25 a 25

Since Pele's Santos inaugurated Brazil's list of Libertadores winners in 1962, no club from the country of the five-time world champion Selecao has won the event four times.

The King of Cups, Independiente de Avellaneda, leads the list of continental champions with seven crowns, the last in 1984.

In terms of victories by country, Brazil will match its great rival, Argentina, with 25 each.

The winner in Lima will also contest the Intercontinental Cup in December, the 2026 South American Cup Winners' Cup and the 2029 Club World Cup.

Probable lineups

Palmeiras: Carlos Miguel - Bruno Fuchs, Gustavo Gómez, Murilo - Khellven, Allan, Andreas Pereira, Raphael Veiga, Joaquín Piquerez - José Manuel López, Vitor Roque. DT: Abel Ferreira.

Flamengo: Agustín Rossi - Guillermo Varela, Léo Ortiz, Léo Pereira, Alex Sandro - Jorginho, Erick Pulgar - Luiz Araújo, Giorgian de Arrascaeta, Samuel Lino - Bruno Henrique. DT: Filipe Luís.

Referee: Darío Herrera (Argentina).