Jadson and Alex Mineiro were highlights in the campaign for the first Brazilian title of Athletico Paranaense in 2001. The striker was the great hero of winning the title and one of the top scorers with 26 goals, being the Golden Ball of the championship. Midfielder Jadson, starting his career as a professional at that time, was one of the revelations of the ‘Furacão’ and played for four more seasons until being traded with Shakhtar Donetsk.
Djalminha and Sávio played together for a year at Flamengo in the 1990s. Djalminha was the creation of Flamengo's youth divisions, was part of the winning squad of the 1990 Copa do Brasil and the 1992 Brasileirão. Younger than Djalminha, he became professional in 1992 to win her first title, in addition to winning two other championships with the ‘Rubro-Negro’, Cariocão in 1996 and the Copa do Brasil in 2006.
Djalminha and Sávio believe in ‘Flamengo’s tri’
On the eve of the final, Djalminha starts the chat with Betfair saying that Flamengo has some decisive players that can make a difference to the conquest of the Libertadores tri. “Flamengo's strength, regardless of having a good team that has been playing together for a long time, are the players who really make the difference. It is a team that has four decisive players that are above average.”
“Not every team has that. Teams in Brazil don't usually have four players of the highest level like Flamengo has. So, I think Flamengo's strongest point is having Arrascaeta, Pedro, Gabigol and Everton Ribeiro. I think Flamengo's main differential is having this central point in the team,” he said in the interview with Betfair.
Djalminha also made a brief analysis of the single match game on neutral ground. “One final, one game. It's difficult. But then, if we compare team by team, Flamengo's is better. So, I think Flamengo is the favorite against Athletico-PR,” he concluded.
Former midfielder Sávio identified with the moment of Pedro, who is the top scorer of the 2022 Libertadores and commented on the similar story he went through in 1997 when he scored a hat-trick against Vélez Sarsfield, in Argentina, in a Libertadores qualifier game. “It was special because it was away from home, in Buenos Aires. It was 3-0 and I scored the hat-trick in a fantastic game where everything went well. A difficult game because it was a Vélez with many world champion players in 94/95. It was a great team. So, getting out there and scoring a hat-trick goes down in history.”
Commenting on the final, Sávio believes that Pedro can make a difference in this match: “First, as a former athlete and Flamengo fan, I always expect something different. Pedro is a really differentiated player and a very cool technical part. And he's doing a very cool, very regular season. So, it would be fantastic for him to finish this Libertadores and everything he's been doing in this competition in a positive way, with goals and a title. So to really sentence, we always expect, as a red-black fan, something different from Pedro.”
Alex Mineiro and Jadson cheer for first Furacão’s Libertadores
Alex Mineiro, Libertadores champion for Cruzeiro in 1997 and champion with the ‘Furacão’ in the 2000s, believes that the recent titles of the Paraná club show the strength of Athletico for this final.
“Athletico has done very well over the years. In the recent past, it won the Copa do Brasil, the Sulamericana. So, we're going to cheer. Athletico have to play their game, as they always did. Play up without fear of making a mistake so they can bring that cup with peace of mind. It won't be easy because Flamengo now has a highly qualified team, everyone knows. But when it comes to Athletico, we can always be surprised.”
Asked if there is any player that makes a difference in the squad of Paraná, Alex showed the way to Athletico on how to reach the continental title: “I think the whole team is the Strong point of Athletico. There is no player that stands out from the rest. The team itself is what is being important so that Athletico can reach this final in good conditions,” pointed out the ace to Betfair.
Jadson also commented on the best memory of his time at Athletico Paranaense. “2004 was a year that marked a lot, both on the good side and on the bad. It was a year that I stood out a lot in the Brazilian Championship, when my name was considered by Shakhtar Donetsk. We finished in second place. I think that was the negative side, because I think that year Athletico deserved to be champion. But we ended up with runner-up and it was a year that marked me a lot.”
The former midfielder also commented on Athletico's favoritism in Ecuador and who can beccome the key players in the final. “I think it will be 1-0 or 2-1 for Athletico. It's going to be a tight game, Athletico needs to play wisely and with intelligence because Flamengo's team is a very qualified team. So, you have to know how to play their game.”
“For me, Fernandinho and Felipão are the main highlights of Athletico-PR. The two arrived this season and changed the face of the team. Felipão has all his experience in command of a group and his way of working, while Fernandinho knows how to organize the team on the pitch and make the team play. For me, they are the two pillars for this final,” concluded Jadson.
According to an analysis by Betfair, a specialist in odds calculation, Flamengo is favorite for the Libertadores 2022 title: 77% chance of being champion, against 23% chance of Athletico Paranaense.
Betfair is one of the largest online sports betting providers in the world, and official sponsor of CONMEBOL Libertadores and Sudamericana. The company, founded in London in 2000, pioneered the provision of peer-to-peer (Betfair Exchange) betting in the betting industry and manages a full suite of sports betting, entertainment events and online gaming products for over 4 million of customers worldwide, available to over 18s.
Thanks to its state-of-the-art technology, the platform offers a wide catalog of products that allows you to bet with your own odds and odds offered by other users. Betfair is licensed to operate online betting and other games in 19 countries including Spain, Italy, Malta, Colombia and Great Britain.
Source: GMB
