Flamengo playmaker Elano will not be available for his side’s Copa Libertadores fixture against Emelec of Ecuador on Wednesday evening after it was announced that his recovery from a muscle injury has not progressed as well as anticipated.
The game is critical to the Rio de Janeiro club’s chances of escaping the group stages of South America’s leading domestic competition, as they sit bottom of Group 7 after four fixtures, three points behind FC Leon.
Elano, on loan from fellow Brazilian club Gremio, has seen the start of his Flamengo career stall somewhat and the slim chances of the 50-times capped midfielder being a contender for the summer’s World Cup appear to have diminished entirely upon the news of his latest injury setback.
