Looking for their first victory in 2026, Flamengo faces Volta Redonda this Saturday (17/01), at the Raulino de Oliveira Stadium, at 9:30 pm (Brasília time), in a game valid for the second round of the Carioca Championship. Without Filipe Luís leading the team, Bruno Pivetti leads the team in these first games.
The decision is part of the planning adopted by the club for the start of the season and is not linked to suspension or any specific problem with the coach. Flamengo decided to use a team made up mostly of under-20 players in the first three games of the Campeonato Carioca.
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Bruno Pivetti: who is it?
Bruno Pivetti was born in Campinas, was an assistant on important teams such as Athletico-PR and Vitória, and won trophies throughout Brazil during his professional development.
Pivetti arrived at Flamengo to command the U20 team at the beginning of July 2025 to replace the Portuguese Nuno Campos. The coach, who had already worked in Paraná as an assistant at Furacão, returned to the state to work at Operário-PR, which currently competes in Series B of the Brazilian Championship.
The São Paulo native led Fantasma to the club’s second title in the history of the Paranaense Championship, beating Maringá in the state decision on penalties.
The victory in the South is far from being Bruno Pivetti’s first in his career. The coach had already conducted work on important mugs in the Northeast and Southeast.
After starting his career as a technical assistant, with stints at Osasco Audax, Athletico-PR, Ferroviária and Vitória, Bruno Pivetti had his first experiences as a professional coach on the Araraquara and Salvador teams.
After that, the opportunity arose for the coach to work at Tombense. Pivetti did not disappoint and won two cups in charge of the team. Furthermore, he had a good Minas Gerais Championship, qualified for the semi-finals and won the Mineiro do Interior twice with the team.
The trajectory in Minas Gerais caught the attention of the CSA. With little time in charge, Pivetti came out on top in the Alagoano Championship final. After a 38.9% success rate in 12 matches and a poor performance in Series B of the Brasileirão, the coach was fired.
From then on, Bruno Pivetti began to travel and accumulate even more experience, with stints at Villa Nova-MG, Goiás, Chapecoense, Guarani, Náutico, Água Santa and CRB.
The main team, led by Filipe Luís, should start appearing on January 21st, against Vasco. The idea is that some professionals will be used in the classic.
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