Palmeiras aim to avoid 2025 repeat in key Brasileirão run | OneFootball

Palmeiras takes the field this Saturday (16) at 9 p.m. (Brasília time) at Allianz Parque against Cruzeiro, looking to avoid a scenario that proved costly for the club last season.

Before the break for the 2025 Club World Cup, Verdão also faced Cruzeiro and Flamengo in succession, although in a different order from this season. At the time, Palmeiras went into those matches with a four-point lead at the top of the Brazilian Championship, but ended up losing both games and headed to the Club World Cup without first place in the table.

Now, the goal is to do things differently: hold on to the lead before the schedule is paused.

In addition to this Saturday’s clash against Cruzeiro, Palmeiras will have another direct showdown in the battle near the top of the table against Flamengo on May 23 at the Maracanã. Before the break, the team will also face Chapecoense on May 31.

In 2025, the matches against Flamengo and Cruzeiro were precisely the club’s last commitments before the Brasileirão was interrupted for the Club World Cup.

Palmeiras currently leads the Brazilian Championship with 34 points from 15 matches played. Flamengo sits second with 30 points and a game in hand — and could reach 33 with a win in that postponed match. Cruzeiro, meanwhile, is 11th with 19 points.

Numbers as an advantage

To stay top during this tough run, Verdão can count on the numbers. Abel Ferreira’s team is the best home side in the Brasileirão (90.5%), is unbeaten at home this season (14 wins and two draws), and has the longest unbeaten streak among the 20 clubs, with 16 matches.

Palmeiras is also the top-flight team with the most wins in 2026, with 23 victories, and the fewest defeats, with just three losses. And among all top-flight teams, it has the best overall record this year, at 76.8%, as well as the best record against Série A opponents, at 81.7% — the only defeat against first-division teams came against Vasco in March.

This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇧🇷 here.