Cruzeiro edges closer to ‘magic number’ as squad eyes title

The victory of Cruzeiro over Fortaleza on Saturday at Mineirão marked the end of a four-game winless streak in the Brasileirão. Breaking the team’s worst stretch in the competition brought them closer to a spot in the Libertadores, but the players are not giving up on their pursuit of the title.
Prior to the 1-0 win against Fortaleza, Cruzeiro had suffered defeats to Vasco and draws against Atlético-MG, Flamengo, and Sport. However, the natural order of things will see the team closing the gap on Flamengo and/or Palmeiras, who face off on Sunday. Palmeiras leads with 61 points, followed by Flamengo with 58, and Cruzeiro with 56.
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In the next round, Cruzeiro will face Palmeiras in São Paulo. When asked if the match could be the team’s last shot at the title, defender Lucas Villalba was straightforward:
‘As long as there are mathematical chances, we will keep fighting. We still have nine games ahead, things can happen. We remain focused on the work. We won again, let’s see what happens (in Flamengo vs. Palmeiras), rest, and then prepare to strive for an important result.’
Christian, scorer of the winning goal against Fortaleza, also sees Cruzeiro in the mix against Flamengo and Palmeiras for the title:
‘It will be a great showdown there. We are fighting among the three teams. Let’s see what happens in their game now to arrive there and have a great match (against Palmeiras). We know how important it is for Cruzeiro to earn as many points as possible away from home, as we dropped some points at home.’
Players from Cruzeiro gather before the match against Fortaleza — Photo: Gilson Lobo
Nearing the Libertadores
While Cruzeiro is still in the running for the title in the final stretch of the Brasileirão, the team is getting closer to the main goal of the season: securing a spot in the upcoming Conmebol Libertadores edition.
With the win against Fortaleza, the gap to Botafogo, in fifth place, increased to 13 points. Cruzeiro also extended the lead to 15 points over Fluminense, the first team outside the top-6 of Brasileirão. Both competitors play in this round, against Ceará and Vasco, respectively.
Since the Brasileirão switched to a points-based system with 20 teams in 2005, only in three editions has a team with 60 points failed to finish in the top-6. Cruzeiro is one win and one draw away from reaching the ‘magic number,’ with nine rounds remaining in the championship.
The main goal for Cruzeiro’s board is to finish among the top four in the table to secure a direct spot in the group stage of the continental tournament. This way, the club avoids the hassle of preliminary rounds amid the revamped 2026 Brasileirão schedule, starting from January 28.