With Vasco focused, Renato weighs his side's chances, names favourites

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·23 April 2026

With Vasco focused, Renato weighs his side's chances, names favourites

Vasco continues to show clear tactical improvement under head coach Renato Gaúcho. Right after securing an excellent result against Paysandu in the Copa do Brasil, the manager used part of his latest press conference to offer a realistic assessment of the current balance of power in the Brazilian Championship and point out the main contenders for the title.

At the moment, the team sits 10th in the Brasileirão standings with 16 points. Of that total, 15 were earned after the arrival of Vasco’s new head coach. Despite this clear improvement in performance and the return of confidence, the coach chose to keep his feet on the ground.

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Renato Gaúcho names favorites and assesses Vasco’s current moment

The experienced coach highlighted the financial gap separating the clear leaders from the rest of the country’s competitors. Renato openly admitted that the fight for the top spot is limited to a very select group of clubs with greater spending power to sign players in every transfer window.

When asked about the topic in the press room, the manager explained his view of the financial balance and made the following statement:

“I tell my squad: if you look at all the clubs in Brazilian football, Flamengo and Palmeiras are on the top shelf, with Cruzeiro a little below. Flamengo has a lot of money and signs the best players. Palmeiras is on the same level. The championship has started and, in my opinion, Flamengo and Palmeiras will decide the Brasileirão. That’s my opinion. Because they prepare well, they have money, and they bring in players. The rest come below, on another shelf.”

A level playing field among the other competitors

Despite acknowledging the current dominance of the opponents mentioned, the coach sees strong technical and tactical balance among the other teams in the top flight. Because of that great level of parity, Vasco’s coaching staff is demanding maximum dedication from the squad in order to climb the table and achieve the club’s goals for the season.

To try to confirm that progress, Vasco will face an intense run of five matches across different competitions. In the league, the squad visits Corinthians this Sunday (26) at 4 p.m., at a venue yet to be defined by the STJD; plays the derby against Flamengo on May 3 at 4 p.m. at the Maracanã; and hosts Athletico-PR on May 10 at 6:30 p.m. in Rio de Janeiro. In the group stage of the Copa Sudamericana, the matchups will be against Olimpia on April 30 at 7 p.m. at São Januário, and against Audax Italiano on May 6 at 7 p.m. in La Florida.