It’s on! The 2021 Brazilian League has started and Palmeiras will debut in the toughest way possible: an away game against the current champions of the tournament, Flamengo. The competition won’t pause during the FIFA dates and neither during the Copa América. Palmeiras will probably play many rounds without Weverton, Viña, Gustavo Gómez and other players that are often called up to the National Teams.
Palmeiras come from the worst performance in the Brasileirão of the last five years (7th). However, after bagging two titles (2016 and 2018) and finishing second (2017) and third (2019), last season’s below-average performance wasn’t unjustified: Abel Ferreira and his players were focused on bringing home the titles of the Brazil Cup and the Libertadores Cup, putting 2020 in the history books as one of the best years for Palmeiras ever.
Palmeiras have disputed fifteen editions of the Brasileirão since the Federation adopted the round-robin format. The numbers show 620 matches played, with 266 victories, 162 draws and 192 defeats. The team has scored 889 goals and conceded 737.
The 2021 edition of the Brazilian League is composed of the following teams: América Mineiro, Athletico Paranaense, Atlético Goianiense, Atlético Mineiro, Bahia, Ceará, Chapecoense, Corinthians, Coritiba, Cuiabá, Flamengo, Fluminense, Fortaleza, Grêmio, Internacional, Juventude, Palmeiras, Red Bull Bragantino, Santos, São Paulo, and Sport.
Yet for another year, the stadiums remain empty due to the inability of the federal government in handling the pandemic and the lack of vaccines for the population. The calendar remains insane and games will be played twice a week, alongside the Libertadores Cup and the Brazil Cup; having a generous squad with good options to put out alternative starting formations remains key.
Palmeiras come from an inconclusive participation in the São Paulo state Championship, since many games were played with an alternative line-up, but in the Libertadores, our players showed an incredible strength, winning five out of six matches and scoring impressive 20 goals in six games. The path to the 11th title of the Brasileirão will be tough, but Palmeiras begin the tournament as one of the candidates more likely to battle for pole position.
Scoppia che la vittoria è nostra!
– – – ooo – – –
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 