In our second preview, we’ll be taking a look at teams from the Southeast and the South of Brazil.
The South and Southeast meta-regions houses the top dogs of the competition, especially seeing as they have 13 teams in the Serie A 2021.
Chapecoense is representing the state of Santa Catarina, which is similar to the case of Paraná which have only Athletico PR representing them.
Rio De Janerio and Minas Gerias on the other hand have two indomitable teams representing them each. Minas Gerias is represented by Atlético-MG and América-MG, while Rio De Janeiro is ably represented by Flamengo and Fluminense.
The state of São Paulo boasts the most representation in the Serie A with 5 teams: SPFC, Palmeiras, Santos, Red Bull Bragantino and Corinthians. Rio Grande do Sul follows a close second by having 3 teams representing them: Internacional, Grêmio and Juventude.
The big favorites of the Brazilian championship 2021
Flamengo
This team continues to make their mark since their recruiting of Rogério Ceni. So far, they have won the Serie A back-to-back, their regional championship and also qualified for the Copa Libertadores. So, it won’t be out of context to term them one of the favourites in this season.
On May 30, Flamengo will be hosting another strong favorite, Palmeiras at the Maracanã.
Palmeiras
When you talk about high-achieving teams in Brasileirão, Palmeiras, which finished 7th in 2020 is one deserving of the honours. This team have earned themselves three Paulista Championship, 10 trophies for Verdão and a whole lot more.
However, it wasn’t always smooth-sailing for this team. They started this season by losing the title of Paulistão against SPFC and suffered further loses that are enough to affect their morale. Like champions, they eventually rose and by dominating in their 2021 Libertadores qualifying group.
Atlético Mineiro
Atlético-MG came 3rd in 2020 and experienced a change in leadership after they let their coach, Jorge Sampaoli go to Marseille. However, they maintained majority of the players from 2020 which made their transitioning not that bad. This team is one to be feared as they have taken it to heart to be a force to reckon with in all competitions and their qualifying campaign if Libertadores 2021 is enough proof.
Internacional
Internacional finished 2nd in 2020 suffered a defeat in the past two days of the 2020 championship which resulted in them losing out on the title. Their journey through the preseason has been a telling one but it could all be different in the Brazilian Championship.
The 2021 Serie A underdogs
Grêmio
The club recently experienced a change in leadership when Porto Alegre relieved Renato Gaúcho of his job and replaced with Tiago Nunes. Despite the fact that they got eliminated in the Copa Libertadores, they showed they are worth their salt after winning their regional competition and coming tops in their Copa Sudamericana qualifying group
Santos
Pexie finished their season by landing a spot in the Copa Libertadores final and most importantly, 8th in the 2020 season. Cuca ended his run and left for better opportunities in Atlético-MG. The 3rd top scorer of 2020, Marinho has had a struggling season with series of injuries and the team is leaning their hopes on youngsters like Kaio Jorge to fill in the big shoes. As it has become the norm, Santos starts Brasileirão struggling.
