Vasco could break the pattern linking Palmeiras' rivals | OneFootball

A coincidence has marked the recent titles of São Paulo and Corinthians. Whenever these two rivals of Palmeiras have lifted a trophy recently, the Verdão has been in their path, and consequently, had the chance to prevent the victory. Now, Vasco emerges as the protagonist trying to end this sequence, facing Corinthians in the Copa do Brasil final.

The scenario repeated itself in different competitions. In the 2023 Copa do Brasil title, São Paulo went past Palmeiras in the quarter-finals before claiming the unprecedented trophy. Two years earlier, in 2021, the rival also faced Verdão as a decisive opponent in the Paulista Championship – on that occasion, they defeated Palmeiras in the grand final and won the state championship.

In 2024, in the Supercopa do Brasil, São Paulo, then the Copa do Brasil champion, faced Palmeiras, the Brasileirão champion, in a single match decision in Belo Horizonte and emerged victorious in the penalties.

Corinthians also entered this statistic. In the 2025 Paulista, the rival eliminated Palmeiras even in the final to claim the state title. Now, the club from the East Zone tries to repeat the scenario in the Copa do Brasil, a competition where Palmeiras again appeared in the path, this time in the round of 16, and once again with the chance to prevent another rival's victory – Corinthians won in both knockout matches.

It is in this context that Vasco emerges. If they defeat Corinthians in the Copa do Brasil, the Rio de Janeiro club will break the sequence where the São Paulo rivals only managed to lift trophies after passing through Verdão.

This Wednesday (17), Corinthians and Vasco face off at the Neo Química Arena, at 9:30 PM (Brasília time), for the first leg of the Copa do Brasil grand final. The return leg of the final, which will mark the end of the Brazilian calendar of 2025, takes place on Sunday (21), at 6:30 PM (Brasília time), at Maracanã.

In the semi-final, Timão eliminated Cruzeiro on penalties, after being defeated by the celestial team 2-1 in regular time. The Cruzmaltino experienced a similar story: they triumphed on penalties over Fluminense, after the Tricolor won 1-0 in the 90 minutes.

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