The Relegation Battle Will go Down to the Last Round.

Hello friends, how are you all doing?

We've finally reached the final stretch of the Brasileirão and now there are only two rounds left to define the last four teams that will be relegated to Série B. Next Wednesday, Flamengo will face Ceará and if they win at the Maracanã, we will most likely have the new Brazilian champion. Ceará, on the other hand, has a serious chance of being relegated, and for the Ceará team, there is the difficult task of facing the leader and runner-up of the competition in their last games.

Every year it's the same anguish; there will be a lot of excitement missing for these teams that will fight until the last minute to escape Série B, and perhaps this season we could have the two remaining relegation spots in the last round of the year. Sport and Juventude are practically relegated already; now it's a matter of knowing which of these five clubs will occupy the two remaining spots.

Inter and Santos' Terrible Season

Seeing Ceará, Vitória, and Fortaleza fighting to avoid relegation is somewhat understandable, but what's alarming is having Inter and Santos in the threatened part of the table. If someone had said in the first round that Inter had a high chance of being relegated, that person would certainly have been labeled crazy. This is because Inter was considered among the top clubs like Palmeiras and Flamengo to fight for the Brasileirão title.

Santos, returning to Serie A after being in Serie B last year, brought in none other than Neymar. The arrival of the main name of the Brazilian National Team, playing in Brazil, made headlines worldwide at the time. Expectations were enormous for Neymar, and there was much discussion about whether the star could prepare for the World Cup next year.

There was only one problem: at Al Hilal, Neymar suffered numerous injuries that kept him out for a large part of his contract. He spent 17 months there and scored only 1 goal in 7 games. Releasing his contract was the best option the Brazilian found, and Santos saw a great opportunity to bring the player back to the club that nurtured him.

Although coach Jorge Jesus had said that the Brazilian was not physically fit to play, the Brazilian sports media didn't want to hear it, and many thought the Portuguese coach was exaggerating, but "time has proven otherwise." Neymar has still not managed a consistent run of games and has had injury problems throughout the season.

Furthermore, coach Carlo Ancelotti hasn't called up the player again, and Neymar knows that if he's not physically fit, his place in the World Cup squad will be lost. 2025 is practically over, and only half of next year's season remains for Neymar to show the world that he's fit enough to deserve a call-up. But until then, he and his teammates will face two difficult challenges, and another relegation would tarnish not only Neymar's reputation but also the history of Santos.

Of the five clubs at risk of relegation, Ceará and Internacional, in my opinion, are the ones that will likely have a much more difficult path. Ceará, as previously mentioned, will face the current league leader Flamengo next Wednesday. A defeat against the red-and-black team could put them in the relegation zone, as they are only 2 points away from 17th place. Their last match is against Palmeiras, meaning another complicated game.

Internacional, on the other hand, will face São Paulo and Bragantino successively. After suffering an absurd 5-1 defeat against Vasco away from home, coach Ramón Díaz was fired, and Abel Braga returns to the club where he is an idol, but his reputation will be put to the test in these last two rounds. Will Internacional be able to recover and finally escape relegation? Well, we'll have to wait and see.

Posted Using INLEO