LIMA, Nov. 22 (Xinhua) -- River Plate head coach Marcelo Gallardo said Friday that the emotional state of his players will be key to their hopes of overcoming Flamengo in the Copa Libertadores final.
The final of South American football's top club competition will be played on Saturday at the Monumental Stadium in Lima, Peru, having been shifted from Chilean capital Santiago because of social unrest.
"The emotional aspect is very important in the defining stage of a tournament like this," Gallardo told a news conference. "Whoever can withstand that better will have a better chance of winning."
Defending champions River are aiming for their fifth Libertadores title and third in five years while Flamengo have not featured in the competition's showpiece fixture since 1981, when their Zico-inspired side lifted the trophy for the only time in the club's history.
Gallardo refused to be drawn on whether Brazilian giants Flamengo posed a tougher challenge than Boca Juniors - whom his side defeated in last year's all-Argentinian final.
"All finals are all difficult and all have their differences. I don't compare it with the previous one," he said.
"A new final requires a lot of enthusiasm... This is a different rival that has its qualities, that has its power and that after 38 years it will have the possibility of playing a final, its fans are logically excited," he added .
According to local authorities, some 16,000 Argentinians and Brazilians have entered Peru in the last four days because the final.
More than 10,000 police officers will be deployed to guarantee security in and around the stadium on Saturday, officials said.
