It’s always like this: Brazilian favorites before the start of the Libertadores – 03/29/2023 – Juca Kfouri

Duvideodó, rare reader and rare reader, may you find a Brazilian analyst who eliminates one of our seven classifieds to compete in the Libertadores already in the group stage.

Most are appointed in first place and, when not, the second vacancy appears guaranteed.

Because before the continental tournament starts, the tradition of the country’s clubs always prevails, put in check only on the eve of each game, when the travel factor and the more detailed examination of each opponent prevail and fear sets in.

This has also been the case at World Cups and Club World Cups.

Imagine if the Colombian Tolima, or the Paraguayan Guarani, or the Congolese Mazembe, or the Peruvian Melgar, or even the Egyptian Al-Ahly and the Saudi Al-Hilal, not to mention Croatia and Cameroon, could beat teams and Brazilian selection.

Because they won, to trample our self-esteem, hurt our arrogance, but, not for that, bury our arrogance.

That said, just like that, Palmeiras, Flamengo, Inter, Corinthians, Atlético Mineiro, Fluminense and Athletico Paranaense are pointed out by 11 out of 10 experts as already in the round of 16 stage of the South American competition.

After all, the top five on the list have already won ten Libertadores, and the sixth and seventh were runners-up.

It takes a club like the Ecuadorian Independiente del Valle to pass over a lot of Brazilians in a short period of time to make it respected in Patropi — as São Paulo, Corinthians, Grêmio, Atlético Mineiro and Flamengo know.

Let’s remember, just to refresh the memory, that, last year, of the eight Brazilians classified for the group stage, two were on the way, Bragantino and América-MG, although our zero humility argues that both are not part of the upper level.

Against the stubborn argument, let us remember that Fluminense fell in the pre-Libertadores call-up.

In 2021 it was Santos, one of the seven qualifiers, who did not make it past the group stage.

Excessive pessimism? Exaggerated realism?

Neither one thing nor the other, because when looking at the glass half full, it is necessary to note that the last four cups were won by Flamengo and Palmeiras, twice each, and that the two are, in fact, the favorites to win again.

The concern here is limited to having your feet on the ground so that no one is deceived about the pretensions of others, or rather, to make clear the difficulty they face in the confrontations that come around.

There are no more hegemonies or secular writings when Brazilian football is involved.

We’ve lost to Africans as often as we’ve lost to Europeans and Argentines lately.

In the South American qualifiers, the reality is different, because in them we resort to our foreign legion, an obviously impossible expedient in interclub tournaments, and there we still impose ourselves.

As Tim Maia would say, give me reason to trust Corinthians eliminated by Ituano in the state championship. Or at Inter, surpassed by Caxias.

There are no facilities in Libertadores, it has always been like this and now even more, with leveling down.

Get ready to hear that your team, if you support any of the seven, is technically superior, has much more investment and… here comes the adversary – but faltered at the time and lost the game that had everything to win.

I hope not, but…

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