Brasileirão 2010, part II: a brief summary

not your usual two teams, sometimes three or four, national league

With 10 rounds remaining (11 to some) and 278 matches played so far, it's now safer to predict the final standings. Or so would say one unfamiliar with this championship.


Source: Fifa's official website

---

Key changes:

- Cruzeiro and Internacional had a weak start, but some winning streaks put them back where they should be: fighting in the top.
- Grêmio, Palmeiras and Atlético-PR are playing much better with some lineup changes (a condition I have stated in the first part). I didn't even consider the latter as a candidate, but they've improved a lot during the tournament.
- Avaí and Ceará put up a good fight, but they have too many limitations. It was more like me wanting teams outside the four states domination (São Paulo, Rio de Janeiro, Minas Gerais and Rio Grande do Sul) to do better

---

Mathematically, Fluminense, Corinthians (one match rescheduled) and now Cruzeiro have better chances.

Considering fixtures, Corinthians will have less confrontations with the top nine (against Palmeiras and Cruzeiro), while Fluminense will have the most (total of six).

But who knows? Flamengo (2009) and Santos (2004), against all odds, won thanks to winning streaks near the end. This year, the higher nine can make it.

From now on, all the matches involving two of these nine will be South American top notch quality, for time is running out and they need good results. If you get the chance, watch them.