PHILADELPHIA, June 15 (Xinhua) -- Italy international midfielder Jorginho and former Juventus left-back Alex Sandro are set to feature for Flamengo in the Brazilian club's opening FIFA Club World Cup clash against Tunisia's Esperance on Monday.
Flamengo manager Filipe Luis said he would have an almost full-strength squad available for the Group D clash at Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia.
"We'll be entering the competition in great shape," Luis told a news conference on Sunday.
"We've had more than 10 days of preparation, except for the players who represented their national teams. This gave us the opportunity to go back to our training concepts and work on tactics, which we can't always do because of the busy schedule."
Sandro had trained separately from Flamengo's main squad after returning from Brazil international duty last week but Luis explained that it was only a precautionary measure given the defender's heavy recent workload.
Meanwhile, Luis said that Brazil-born Jorginho was already feeling at home after joining the Rio de Janeiro club from Arsenal earlier this month.
"He is adapting very well and he's ready," said the former Atletico Madrid and Chelsea defender, who took charge of Flamengo last September.
"He has played alongside the best in Europe and we all know his quality. It's our job to make him feel welcome so that he can enjoy this next stage in his career." ■
