Who will replace Pedro in Flamengo? Bruno Henrique, Plata, Carrascal… Understand Filipe Luís’ headache

The advantage of 1-0 opened by Flamengo against Racing in the Libertadores semi-final was accompanied by the bad news of Pedro’s fractured forearm. The striker got injured early in the second half at Maracanã and had to be replaced. Exams conducted early yesterday ruled out the need for surgery, but now he needs to keep his arm immobilized and will be absent in the return game in Argentina next Wednesday. Filipe Luís faces a major dilemma at a crucial moment of the season. The number 9 had his arm immobilized up to above the elbow and cannot play until the protection is removed. The immobilization was done to prevent rotation of the fractured bone, making it impossible to bend his arms. The initial deadline is a month but there’s no specific timeframe. Daily evaluations will be carried out, with optimism that Pedro will return later this year, given that the fracture did not involve any misalignment in the ulna, making consolidation easier. However, the team will not have Pedro for the return match against Racing, as the fracture would need to be fully healed within a week. He will undergo specific fitness maintenance work. Who will play? Filipe Luís has five days to think about how to replace Pedro. When he scored goals in victories against Botafogo and Palmeiras in the Brazilian league, the problem of an attack still seeking its ideal setup seemed solved. However, even before getting injured on Wednesday, Pedro did not perform well. In a year that was already marked for Pedro by his return after a knee injury and off-field controversies, the coach couldn’t give Plata and Bruno Henrique consistent playing time nor could newcomers like Juninho fit into the team. In fact, number 27 stated that Filipe doesn’t plan to use him in the central attacking position anymore. ‘It’s not my position, everyone knows that. I made it clear to Filipe that I want to help the team but in a different position than the number 9,’ said Bruno Henrique in the mixed zone. ‘I talked to him, and he understood well. It’s about handling the situation.’ The striker has nine goals this season, while Plata has scored five. Both are very involved in games but play as false 9s, prone to tactical roles rather than scoring goals. Doing that in 2025 is Arrascaeta, who has been entering the area more and is having the best season of his career with 20 goals. With Carrascal’s improved performance, a versatile midfielder and scorer of the winning goal on Wednesday, it’s also possible to consider an association between the two foreigners. Before visiting Avalleneda, Filipe may test some solutions tomorrow at 7:30 PM when Flamengo faces Fortaleza.