Déjà vu for Palmeiras: Poor run before 2021 Libertadores triumph | OneFootball

Palmeiras will play its most important match of the year this weekend. The Alviverde will face Flamengo in the grand final of the Copa Libertadores da América. The ball will roll this Saturday, starting at 6pm (Brasília time), at the Estadio Monumental U, in Lima, Peru.

On the eve of the final, Palmeiras is experiencing a turbulent moment on the field. The team has not won in five matches and saw the Brazilian Championship title slip further away. For the more superstitious fans, however, this could be a good sign, as it also happened in 2021.

Verdão comes from five winless matches in the Brasileirão, with three losses and two draws. The Alviverde team lost to Mirassol (2-1), Santos (1-0), and Grêmio (3-2), all away from home. At Allianz, they drew with Vitória and Fluminense, both 0-0.

What comforts Palmeiras fans is that, in 2021, on the eve of the Libertadores final – also against Flamengo – Abel Ferreira's Palmeiras went through a very similar situation. At that time, Alviverde was on a four-game winless streak.

That year, Verdão reached the Libertadores final after a negative streak of three losses (Fluminense and Fortaleza away, and São Paulo at Allianz) and a draw (Atlético-MG at home). Despite this, it was the Palmeiras team that took home the continental title.

On the other hand, Flamengo was also on a high, a scenario that repeats itself this season. In 2021, the Rubro-Negro from Rio arrived at the final with a nine-game unbeaten run, with six wins and three draws. This year, the team suffered only two defeats in the same period, with four wins and two draws.

The 2021 Copa Libertadores final ended with joy for Alviverde and sadness for Rubro-Negro. On that December 27, Palmeiras beat Flamengo in extra time, 2-1. Veiga opened the scoring and Arrascaeta equalized, while Deyverson scored the winning goal for Verdão.

What’s at stake in the Libertadores final

Palmeiras and Flamengo are competing not only for the much-coveted Libertadores trophy, but also for the symbolic title of the greatest champion of the competition in Brazilian football. One of the two will become the first club to win the intercontinental competition four times, surpassing São Paulo as well.

Flamengo also has the chance for revenge against Palmeiras, who came out on top in the 2021 final. Meanwhile, Verdão is trying to avoid ending the season without any titles, which would be unprecedented in the Abel Ferreira era.

Both squads are already in Lima, Peru, for the big Copa Libertadores final. Both teams will train on Thursday and Friday ahead of the big match. Coaches Abel Ferreira and Filipe Luís, as well as one player from each team, will also give a pre-match press conference.

Upcoming Palmeiras matches

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