Flamengo vs Audax Rio Prediction: Flamengo wants to start the Carioca with a win

Another season in Brazilian football is about to begin, and as it is a tradition, the state championships are the first to happen. The Carioca and the Paulista are considered the most important state championships, with big clubs from Rio de Janeiro and São Paulo looking to become champions of their region. The Carioca begins with a regular phase, in league format, with the top four teams qualifying for the semi-finals. The big clubs are not obliged by the regulations to use their best players in the first rounds, as the Brasileirão didn't end that long ago. The state competitions can also be ideal to give young players a chance at an early stage, as squads in Brazil are huge. When the coaches start fielding the best players, it can be said that the teams' competitive preparation for the challenging and long 2024 season in Brazil begins.

With 37 Carioca titles, Flamengo is the team that has won the competition the most times and is the favorite to win it again. It's worth remembering, however, that rival Fluminense won the last two editions. Tite will for sure want to add another title to his trophy cabinet. Curiously, the match with Audax will take place in Manaus, in the Amazonia. The former Brazil coach, it seems, will field a team with his usual starters, but De La Cruz, the Uruguayan who is the Mengão's biggest signing so far, wasn't registered in time to make his debut.

This young club, founded in 2005, plays in Brazil's Série D; therefore, it has a long way to go to reach the elite of Brazilian football. Despite its modest record, in the last edition of the Carioca, Audax came sixth in the regular phase, narrowly missing out on reaching the semi-finals, as only the top four teams in the league qualify. The team, which will now play in Saquarema, 96 km from Rio de Janeiro, after playing in Angra dos Reis, is still looking to establish itself in Carioca football.

Flamengo is the favorite to win, and on top of that, it looks like it will field a team close to the usual on its debut in the competition. Audax pulled off a surprise in Round 1 of last year's Carioca with an away win against Botafogo, which means that the Série D side will be looking for another surprise but also means that Tite is on the alert. I will bet that there will be at least three goals scored in the game.