The Brasileirão is considered the best tournament in South America and one of the best in the world due to the level of its teams, but above all for being highly competitive. Five teams have won the tournament in the last ten editions, and this level playing field is also evident this year, with six teams separated by only three points at the top of the table and four giants fighting to avoid relegation.
It’s a tournament where, beyond the favoritism that always exists due to statistics and the quality of individual players, any team can beat anyone. For instance, in the last matchday, Cuiabá moved out of the red zone by defeating São Paulo away, a team that had been unbeaten in 12 matches under coach Luis Zubeldía.
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In the top part of the table, this parity is evident as Botafogo is the leader with 20 out of 30 possible points. Their effectiveness is 66%, whereas, for example, Real Madrid won LaLiga by securing 83% of the possible points, and Manchester City won the Premier League by achieving 80%.
Flamengo or Bahia face off today at the Maracanã: if there’s a winner, they will lead the tournament alone. It’s all so tight that if Cruzeiro and Palmeiras also secure three points in their upcoming matches, they can reach the top positions.
Four Brazilian giants in the fight to avoid relegation
The competitiveness is also clear in the red zone of the table, with four big teams occupying the last five spots. Fluminense, the current Copa Libertadores champion, is last with only one win in 10 matches.
A tabela deu uma movimentada nos arredores do Z4!
O @CriciumaEC pegou o elevador e não está mais nem no Z6!
Atualizando… pic.twitter.com/TJNZXRITj4
— Brasileirão Betano (@Brasileirao) June 20, 2024
Grêmio, three-time Libertadores champion and two-time Brazilian championship winner, has suffered five consecutive losses. They are third from bottom, also in the relegation zone.
Another team in a football and financial crisis is Corinthians. The São Paulo-based team, which has won the Brasileirão seven times, the last in 2017, and is the last South American representative to win the Club World Cup with their 2012 title, has only one win in ten matches.
Vasco da Gama also has little reason to smile, enduring a struggle that has extended since last year. In the previous season, they avoided relegation only on the last matchday, and this season they are in 17th place, with the worst defensive record (21 goals conceded in 10 matches) and Portuguese coach Álvaro Pacheco on the hot seat after only four games in charge.
