Flamengo and Palmeiras three points apart: run-in to the Brasileirão | OneFootball

The Brazilian Championship has entered a stage where each round starts to carry a different weight. After 28 matches, Flamengo leads with 60 points, while Palmeiras is right behind with 57. Rubro-Negro has 18 wins, compared to 16 for its rival, and also holds the edge in goal difference: 32 to 26.

The gap, however, is narrow enough that the lead is far from secure. And there is one date that could end up marked on the calendar: November 21. That is when Palmeiras hosts Flamengo in the 36th round of the Brasileirão Série A, at Nubank Parque.

When the ball starts rolling, only two rounds will remain before the end of the championship. In other words, besides being the only direct clash between the two in this final stretch, it could pit the two main title contenders against each other when practically the entire season is about to be decided.

Palmeiras’ path

Verdão faces a run of matches that mixes important Brasileirão games with the battle for the Libertadores.

In Série A, the next fixtures are Bahia, Corinthians, Athletico-PR, Bragantino, Santos, Remo, Cruzeiro, Flamengo, Chapecoense, and Coritiba. There are therefore three particularly significant matchups along the way: Athletico away, Cruzeiro away, and above all, the home clash against Flamengo.

The schedule also presents Palmeiras with another challenge: Abel Ferreira’s team is simultaneously involved in the semifinals of the Libertadores and the Copa do Brasil. Internally, the club has adopted the concept of “16 finals” for this decisive stretch.

The number includes the ten remaining Brasileirão matches and the fixtures in the two knockout competitions. In the Libertadores, the first obstacle will be a Brazilian side. Palmeiras faces Fluminense in the semifinals, with the first leg set for October 14 at the Maracanã and the second leg for October 21 at Nubank Parque.

Flamengo’s path

On the other side is a Flamengo team with a three-point advantage and a different schedule. Leonardo Jardim’s side will face Santos, Fluminense, Bahia, Atlético-MG, Vasco, Grêmio, Athletico-PR, Palmeiras, Coritiba, and Chapecoense in the Brasileirão.

There are ten matches, five of them away from home, including trips to Vila Belmiro, Salvador, São Januário, and Nubank Parque itself. The road also includes derbies. Flamengo faces Fluminense in the 30th round and Vasco in the 33rd, before arriving at the direct showdown with Palmeiras.

In the Libertadores, Rubro-Negro will face Estudiantes. The semifinal begins in La Plata on October 15 and ends at the Maracanã on October 22. And this is where the story takes on an even greater dimension.

Abel Ferreira vs. Leonardo Jardim?

If Palmeiras and Flamengo manage to get past Fluminense and Estudiantes, respectively, the Libertadores will have a particularly special final. On one side will be Abel Ferreira, the man behind Palmeiras’ project and winner of 11 trophies with Verdão.

Leonardo Jardim, Flamengo’s Portuguese coach, took over the club in March and has already won the Carioca. A potential final would bring together two Portuguese managers, reinforcing the country’s presence in South American football. Conmebol had already highlighted Abel and Jardim among the Portuguese figures in the competition.

And there is one nearly perfect detail

The schedule has made an absolutely unusual sequence possible. November 21: Palmeiras vs. Flamengo in Brazil’s Série A. November 28: the Libertadores final at the Estadio Centenario in Montevideo.

In other words, if both advance in the continental tournament, Palmeiras and Flamengo could face each other twice in just one week, first in the battle for the Brazilian league title and then for South America’s biggest trophy. And that completely changes the weight of that meeting at Nubank Parque.

If the gap remains narrow, it could be a kind of early Brasileirão final. If both also reach the Libertadores decider, it will be only the first chapter of a week that could define a large part of the season for both giants.

Ten rounds. One direct showdown. Two continental semifinals. And the possibility of two Portuguese managers competing for Eternal Glory. The final stretch of 2026 promises to be a true marathon between Flamengo and Palmeiras.

*André Freixo, special correspondent for Agência RTI Esporte, reporting directly from Portugal

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