Betfair, official sponsor of Libertadores, brought together four former players from Athletico Paranaense and Flamengo to analyze the 2022 Libertadores final. , 29, at the Monumental Isidro Romero Carbo stadium in Ecuador.
Jadson and Alex Mineiro stood out in the campaign for Athletico Paranaense’s first Brazilian title in 2001. The striker was the great hero of the conquest and one of the top scorers with 26 goals, being the Golden Ball of the championship, already the midfielder Jadson, starting his career as a professional, he was one of the revelations of Hurricane and played for four more seasons until being traded with Shakhtar Donetsk, from Ukraine.
Djalminha and Sávio played together for a season at Flamengo in the 90’s. Djalminha was formed at Flamengo’s base, was part of the winning squad of the 1990 Copa do Brasil and the 1992 Brasileirão. than Djalminha, joined the professional squad in 1992 to win his first title, Sávio also won the 1996 Carioca and the 2006 Copa do Brasil in two spells for the club.
Djalminha and Sávio believe in the Flamengo tri
On the eve of the decision, Djalminha starts the chat to Betfair, reinforcing that Flamengo has some players who unbalance and 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 players who are unbalanced and 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 added in an interview with Betfair.
Djalminha also analyzed the dispute in a single game on neutral ground. “One final, one game. It’s difficult. But then, if we compare team by team, Flamengo’s team is better. So, I think Flamengo is the favorite against Athletico-PR”, concluded.
Former midfielder Sávio identified with the great phase of Pedro, who is the top scorer of the 2022 Libertadores and commented on his own journey in the 1997 Libertadores when he scored a hat-trick against Vélez Sarsfield, in Argentina, for Flamengo.
“It was a special game 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 still 1997 and it was a Vélez with many world champion players in 94/95. It was a great team. So getting there and scoring a hat-trick goes down in history.”
Commenting on the final, Sávio believes that Pedro can make a difference in the final: “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. People who are off the field see it. And he’s doing a really 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. We always expect, as a red-black fan, something different from Pedro”.
Alex Mineiro and Jadson cheer for the first Libertadores do Hurricane
Alex Mineiro, Libertadores champion for Cruzeiro in 1997 and champion with Hurricane in the 2000s, believes that recent titles show the strength of Hurricane for this final. “Athletico has done very well over the years. In the recent past, he won the Copa do Brasil, the South American Cup. 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 you 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”, he added.
Asked if there is any player that makes a difference in the Hurricane squad, Alex indicated the path for Athletico on how to reach the continental title. “I think the set is Athletico’s main highlight. There is no player that stands out from the rest. The team is what is being important so that Athletico can reach this final well”, said the ace.
Jadson continued the interview with Betfair commenting on his best memory at Athletico. “2004 was a year that marked a lot, both on the good side and on the bad side. It was a year in which I stood out a lot in the Brazilian Nationals, when my name was aired to Shakhtar Donetsk at the time. We finished in second place. I think that was the negative side, because I think that year the Athletico team deserved to be champion for everything they did, for the engaging game and for the team’s chemistry. But we ended up with the runner-up and it was a year that marked me a lot, both on the positive and negative sides”.
The former midfielder also commented on Athletico’s favoritism in Ecuador and who the Hurricane characters are in the decision. “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, Fernandinho, on the other hand, knows how to organize the team on the field 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.
About Betfair
Betfair is one of the largest online sports betting providers in the world, and official sponsor of Libertadores and Sudamericana. The company, founded in London in 2000, pioneered the provision of peer-to-peer betting in the betting industry and manages a full suite of sports betting, entertainment events and online gaming products for over 4 million customers worldwide. the world, available for people over 18 years old.
Thanks to its cutting-edge 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.
