Fluminense's star striker, Fred, began his physical rehabilitation on Monday after suffering a strain in his thigh muscles.

On March 17, Fred injured his upper right thigh when stretching out to reach a ball during a match against Uberaba.

"Fred is up and walking without any pain. He is recovering just fine and within the time frame we speculated. Today, he began some basic exercises in the pool. We expect that he will be ready to play in time for the semifinals of the second half of the Rio de Janeiro state championship," said Fluminense's team doctor, Michael Simoni.

In Fred's absence, both Alan and Andre Lima have stepped up to take the roll as the goal scorers. In Fluminense's last match against Resende, Lima marked both of his team's goals in a 2-1 victory.

Fluminense and Flamengo are tied for first place with 13 points in Group A of the Rio de Janeiro state championship. However, Flamengo holds the advantage due to goals scored.

As to date, Flamengo scored 10 goals, compared to 9 from Fluminense. Still without Fred, Fluminense will travel to play Madureira on March 24 in the sixth round of play in the second half of the Rio de Janeiro state championship.

Only three rounds of play remain before the playoffs begin.