Flamengo holds pre‑season friendlies in Portugal against River Plate, Lausanne and Benfica

Flamengo traveled to Portugal for a three‑match inter‑season tournament at the Estádio Algarve. The club will face River Plate of Argentina on 3 July, Lausanne‑Sport of Switzerland on 8 July and Benfica of Portugal on 11 July. All games are being broadcast in Brazil on Band (free‑to‑air), SportTV 2, Globosat’s Ge TV and the pay‑per‑view Premiere service.

The squad is using the period to recover injured players while a reduced roster trains. Midfielder Jorginho has returned to full training after a foot fracture, Saúl is progressing after heel surgery and defender Léo Ortiz remains sidelined with a muscle injury. Several first‑team members are absent on national‑team duty, and the club is also monitoring the market but plans no major signings this window.

Coach Leonardo Jardim said the friendlies are a “laboratory” to test tactics and give playing time to young prospects from the under‑20 side. Goalkeeper Rossi noted the pressure at Flamengo, saying, “Pressão tem em todo time. No Flamengo, a bola chega poucas vezes.” The matches are intended to help the team regain rhythm before the Brasileirão resumes on 22 July against Chapecoense.

Both clubs view the fixtures as high‑profile preparation ahead of the second half of the season, with Flamengo hoping to close the points gap in Brazil’s top league.