Cruzeiro stay consistent, close in on Libertadores spot | OneFootball

Under the command of Leonardo Jardim, the Celeste team repeats its strong performance from the first half and has the second-best campaign of the second half

Cruzeiro reaches the final stretch of the Brazilian Championship with one of the most consistent campaigns of the season. After a solid first half, the team maintained its good performance in the second half and is very close to securing a spot in the next edition of the Copa Libertadores, the club’s main goal for 2025.

In the first half, the Celeste team collected 30 points in 14 rounds (a success rate of 71.4%) and even reached the top of the league. There were nine wins, three draws, and only two losses, a performance that demonstrated the strength and balance of the squad led by Leonardo Jardim.

In the second half, Cruzeiro kept up the pace. With 26 points in 14 matches, the team has a 66.6% success rate, with seven wins, five draws, and one loss. This score gives Raposa the second-best campaign of the second half, behind only Palmeiras, who have 29 points in the same period.

This scenario contrasts with last year’s performance, when the team was quite inconsistent. In 2024, Cruzeiro finished the first half in fourth place, with 33 points in 19 games (10 wins, 3 draws, and 6 losses). However, their performance dropped in the final stretch: they managed only four wins in the second half, finishing in 14th place in that phase and 9th overall, which ended up knocking the club out of the Libertadores qualification zone.

This season shows a more mature and consistent team, reflecting the continuity of Leonardo Jardim’s work and the squad’s stability. According to the UFMG Department of Mathematics, the probability of Cruzeiro qualifying for the Libertadores via the Brazilian Championship is practically 100% with their current 63 points.

The team returns to the field this Sunday (9th), at 4 p.m., at Mineirão, to face Fluminense in the 33rd round of the Brasileirão. The fans are promising another big party: over 45,000 tickets have already been sold, and the expectation is for a full house to push Raposa in search of another victory and to secure their spot in the continental tournament.

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