Tomorrow Sunday, Palmeiras play Internacional for the 27th round of the Brazilian Championship, but it’s only Verdão’s 26th game, as the clash with Ceará remains unplayed. In the first 25 matches, Palmeiras accumulated 40 points, with 12 victories, four draws and nine losses. Palmeiras have had a terrible sequence: in the last 12 matches in the tournament, only two victories, three draws and seven defeats.
This year’s campaign is Palmeiras’ worst since 2016 at this stage (25 games). The 40 points won are the same the team won in 2007 after 25 games, tied in eight place among all Palmeiras’ campaigns in the tournament under the current format (since 2006).
The terrible performance in the last few rounds, while securing a spot in the final of the Libertadores, put a premature end to the dream of the 11th Brasileirão title. The 16-point gap to leaders Atlético Mineiro is practically insurmountable and Palmeiras focus is on finishing the tournament in the top 4 to guarantee a place in the group stage of next year’s Libertadores, should the worst happen in this year’s final.
So far, Palmeiras have scored 37 goals (the fourth most of any team). Palmeiras is the team with the most goals scored in the first half (22). The problem is on the defensive end: only three teams have conceded more goals than Palmeiras in the current season of the tournament (32).
As the tournament approaches the finish line, Palmeiras’ main goal is to use the remaining matches to make tests for the Libertadores final against Flamengo, but also deliver to supporters performances at the level that are to be expected from one of the most expensive squads in the country.
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 