Tomorrow Saturday, Palmeiras play Fluminense for the 21st round of the Brazilian Championship, but it’s only Verdão’s 20th game, as the clash against Vasco da Gama in the first round remains unplayed, although we have already beaten them in the 20th round. Crazy calendar!
In the first 19 matches, Palmeiras accumulated 31 points, with eight victories, seven draws and four defeats. Since our last review, Palmeiras fired Luxemburgo, hired Abel Ferreira and transformed the sequence of four consecutive defeats into a sequence of three consecutive victories. The excessive draws are a thing of the past.
A defeat against Fluminense would make this year’s campaign the worst start since the “reboot” Palmeiras experienced in 2015. A victory would take the team to 34 points, still behind the title campaigns of 2016 and 2018. When compared to the previous 15 seasons, a victory against Fluminense would make it the sixth best, while a defeat would push it down four positions, to tenth, tied with 2015 and 2005.
The excessive number of draws seem to be over. The last one was eight games ago, against Flamengo in the 12th round. However, their effect is still visible. Even beating Fluminense, the number of victories will remain the lowest counting back five seasons.
The arrival of Abel Ferreira have shaken things up, and it’s a fact players and staff are “in love” with the new coach and his attitude. Time will tell how long the honeymoon lasts, but we’re off to a good start, for sure.
The dream of a title, distant after four consecutive defeats, has returned to the minds of palmeirenses. After the postponed matches have been played, we can make better projections about the real chances of bagging our eleventh Brazilian League trophy. In a best case scenario, Palmeiras would be just two points behind the leaders. Worst case, eleven points behind. Place your bets.
Scoppia che la vittoria è nostra!
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by Augusto Anteghini Oazi
*Here at Anything Palmeiras, we love football. We love Palmeiras. We are always keen to see Palmeiras play, and keen to write about it for you. But we’re against the return of football in a country that still hasn’t controlled the coronavirus pandemic. We express our deepest sympathy to the families whose loved ones have been taken by the disease.
ANYTHING PALMEIRAS 