Analysis: With 11 days remaining, where is the Brazilian championship?

While Botafogo largely dominates, fierce competition for the Copa Libertadores and intense suspense at the bottom of the table make this Brazilian championship season an epic spectacle
by
Desmond Efe-Khaese
2023-10-20 11:26:01

The Brazilian League (Campeonato Brasileiro Série A), 2023 edition, has a colorful epilogue in store for us, as we approach the final 11 days.

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As of today, Botafogo dominate the league with a relatively comfortable lead, but the battle for Copa Libertadores qualification is intense, with eight teams standing within just eight points. As for the bottom of the table, the fight to stay is even fiercer, with nine teams fighting not to be among the bottom four, synonymous with relegation to Serie B. Here are the details.

Botafogo alone in the lead, despite the adventures

Botafogo are on track to have a memorable season in 2023. The team has not won the Campeonato Brasileiro Série A title since 1995, but this year they have shown exceptional form.

At one point, Botafogo even had an impressive 15-point lead over their rivals, but a run of four games without a win led to the dismissal of coach Bruno Lage.

Despite these adventures, Botafogo maintains a comfortable lead of 9 points over its runner-up, Bragantino. Barring a cataclysm, Botafogo looks set to win the title this season. Unless …

An unbearable battle for qualification in Libertadores

Just below the undisputed leader, a fierce battle rages to clinch the precious qualifying places in the Copa Libertadores. Eight teams are separated by only eight points, creating a climate of fierce competition.

Bragantino leads the pack with 49 points, followed closely by Flamengo on 47 points, Grêmio, Palmeiras and Paranaense on 44 points. Mineiro, Fortaleza, and Fluminense complete this group, respectively, with 43, 42 and 41 points.

In this very tight ranking table, only the clubs of Cuiabá, currently tenth with 36 points, and São Paulo, with 35 points, seem to act as mid-table. However, the gap separating them from the two leading groups is not insurmountable.

An intense struggle to maintain

The fight to avoid relegation to Serie B is just as exciting as the race to the top of the table. The nine teams, ranked 12th to 20th, are fighting to stay in the elite of Brazilian football, and the gaps in the rankings are minimal. Among these clubs, some have undertaken significant recruitment to strengthen their team, hoping to avoid relegation. For example, Vasco da Gama acquired Dimitri Payet , while Coritiba signed Algerian striker Islam Slimani.

These two teams, Vasco da Gama and Coritiba, are fighting to avoid relegation, but at different levels. Vasco da Gama, currently 16th with 30 points, is outside the relegation zone, but must be wary of Santos and Goiás, who also have 30 points, trying to overtake Corinthians, Cruzeiro and Bahia with 31 points, and the International with 32 points.

Knowing that only four teams will be relegated to Serie B, Coritiba, currently 19th with 20 points, is in a more precarious situation, ten points behind the last two clubs in the relegation zone, followed by América, which is currently closing the ranking with 18 points.

This year’s Campeonato Brasileiro Série A is therefore shaping up, especially in its conclusion, to be one of the most thrilling seasons in Brazilian football history, with high stakes still underway both up and down of the Board. Football fans can expect a colorful end to the season.

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