What does Vila Nova need to return to the Brasileirão elite? Find out | OneFootball

Vila Nova has reached the final stretch of Brazil’s Série B in the position any promotion contender would like to be: at the top of the table and relying only on its own results to stay firmly in the fight for Série A.

After 30 rounds, Tigre has 54 points and leads with an advantage over the chasing pack. The 2-0 win over Londrina at the OBA confirmed the recovery of a team that has gone through very different moments in the competition. That ability to bounce back helps explain the campaign.

From the best spell to the worst run

Vila Nova took over first place in the 14th round after beating Náutico 4-3. After that, however, the team hit turbulence, with defeats to Juventude, Criciúma, CRB and Sport. The 5-0 thrashing by Athletic-MG in the 26th round marked its lowest point.

The response came with important results: a win over Atlético-GO, a 6-0 rout of Ponte Preta and a draw with Operário-PR. After the setback against Athletic, Tigre beat Goiás, América-MG and Londrina, in addition to drawing with Avaí.

In other words, the current leader did not reach the top simply by maintaining absolute consistency. Vila Nova stumbled, ran into problems and managed to get back on its feet just as the competition was beginning to define the promotion contenders.

André Luís, Janderson and Marquinhos Gabriel carry the attack

In the individual numbers, three names stand out. André Luís is Vila Nova’s top scorer in Série B, with eight goals and two assists. The forward has been directly involved in 11 of the team’s goals and has been one of the main attacking references in the campaign.

Janderson, in turn, offers a different and perhaps even more complete contribution. The forward has six goals and eight assists, leading Vila in the latter category and reaching 14 direct goal involvements in the competition.

Marquinhos Gabriel has also been decisive, with 10 goal involvements and seven assists in the competition. For Guto Ferreira, the combination is important: one forward who gets into the box and another who creates for his teammates.

OBA could be decisive

The home record could be decisive in the final stretch. Vila has turned Onésio Brasileiro Alvarenga (OBA) into one of the strengths of its campaign, with wins over Náutico, Fortaleza, Ponte Preta, Ceará, Goiás, América-MG and Londrina.

The problem lies in away matches outside Goiânia. The 5-0 defeat to Athletic showed that the team still needs to find greater stability away from home. And the schedule will not let up for leaders Vila Nova, with the battle promising to heat up near the end.

Eight games that could go down in history

There are eight rounds left, with matchups against Botafogo-SP, Cuiabá, Náutico, Novorizontino, São Bernardo, Juventude, Criciúma and Fortaleza. There are opponents directly involved in the fight for the top spots, which turns each round into a kind of six-pointer.

The clash with Novorizontino in Goiânia deserves special attention. And the end of the campaign will also be tough, with Juventude, Criciúma and Fortaleza still on the schedule. There is no room for complacency.

41 years later, the chance to return

The scale of the challenge becomes even clearer when you look at the history. Vila Nova has not played in Série A since 1985. In total, the club has had seven appearances in the top flight, but has never managed to return since that last campaign.

So that makes 41 years away from the first division. A place there would be, at the very least, more than that: Tigre has never played in Série A under the current round-robin format adopted in 2003. That is why the current lead represents much more than just a good campaign.

Vila Nova has eight games to turn its recovery into a historic campaign. If it maintains its strength at the OBA and improves away from home, Tigre could reach the final round close to ending a four-decade wait for Série A.

*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.