Palmeiras seek to protect 19-round lead as Flamengo close in | OneFootball

Palmeiras reach the 26th round of the Brasileirão under rare pressure, their 19-round stay at the summit now down to a one-point margin over Flamengo.

According to Nosso Palestra, Abel Ferreira’s side have 52 points from 25 matches, with 15 wins, seven draws and three defeats, while Flamengo have 51 from 25.

Flamengo’s push intensified with a 2-0 win over Mirassol on Wednesday 2, a rearranged fourth-round fixture, which lifted them to 51 and cut the gap to one.

The lead changed hands early. Palmeiras topped rounds three and four, São Paulo then led rounds five and six, before Palmeiras reclaimed first place in round seven and stayed there. They also ended the first half of the season on top with a club-best 44 points from 19 games in the points era.

Round 26 puts both title contenders in action on Sunday 6, with Flamengo away to Remo at 16:00 at the Mangueirão, before Palmeiras visit Botafogo at 18:30 at Estádio Nilton Santos.

The equation is simple, if Flamengo win and Palmeiras do not win, Flamengo take top spot.

The Botafogo meeting carries added weight. Flamengo have the league’s best attack with 50 goals to Palmeiras’ 45. Palmeiras then host LDU on Wednesday 9 for the second leg of the Libertadores quarter-finals, before meeting São Paulo in the Brasileirão.

Source: Nosso Palestra

“Artificial intelligence was used to assist in creating this article based on reporting from the original source quoted.”