On the weekend, Palmeiras play the Derby against Corinthians for the 22nd round of the Brazilian Championship, but it’s only Verdão’s 21st game, as the clash against Ceará remains unplayed. In the first 20 matches, Palmeiras accumulated 38 points, with 12 victories, two draws and six losses. Palmeiras had a terrible sequence in the last seven matches in the tournament, winning only two of them (one draw and four defeats).
This year’s campaign is Palmeiras’ third best under the current format of the tournament (since 2003) at this stage (20 games). The 38 points won are only worse than 2019 (42 points) and 2016 (39 points).
Should Palmeiras win the Derby, the campaign will surpass the title run of 2016, when Palmeiras after 21 games summed 40 points. Even with three consecutive defeats, Palmeiras’ performance is not bad. The problem is Atlético’s overwhelming performance, with the fourth best campaign of any team after 20 rounds (45 points) in the history of the league.
Palmeiras have scored 32 goals (the second most of any team, behind Flamengo’s 35). Palmeiras is the team with the most goals scored in the first 15 minutes of play (10). The problem is on the defensive end: only five teams have conceded more goals than Palmeiras in the current season of the tournament (23).
As the tournament begins its final half, Palmeiras are facing problems with irregular performances. The team oscillates between incredible matches and terrible exhibitions. The lack of a decisive centre-forward is costing some points, but there’s no more time: the squad will remain unaltered until the end of the season and our 11th must be won with the players available.
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 