The incredible Palermo Fortress has everything to avoid relegation

The Brazilian Championship is almost defined, with Flamengo very close to the title. Just need to beat Ceará midweek and the trophy goes to Gávea. But the fight to avoid relegation is very intense, especially with Fortaleza’s 1-0 victory, goal by Pochettino. The Castelão was packed, with the fans having an amazing party in support of the team, which has not lost in eight games and is now directly involved in the fight to stay in Serie A. In my view, there are five teams in the battle and two of them will go down: Ceará (43 pts), Vitória (42), Santos (41), Internacional (41), and Fortaleza (40). Among these, Fortaleza, coached by Martin Palermo, and Vitória, led by Jair Ventura, are playing the best football. Fortaleza will play at home against Corinthians at Castelão and has everything to win and enter the last round out of the Z4, which will be an incredible recovery. The teams that are showing the worst football are two Brazilian champions, from Libertadores and World Cups: Santos and Internacional. I think one of these two will drop to Serie B, but I also do not rule out the possibility of both going down together. This mini championship against relegation will be very exciting and tense for all involved. The Vila Belmiro team will go to Caxias do Sul to face the relegated Juventude, and I do not see this situation as an advantage, as it affects the pride of the Gaúcho team. Inter will go to Vila Belmiro to face the demoralized São Paulo, who will play their match in Santos. Meanwhile, Vitória will go to Bragança Paulista to face Bragantino. The situation is serious, and whoever loses midweek will be on the verge of relegation. Ceará, who is at risk, will also go to Maracanã to face the four-time Libertadores champion, Flamengo, who is eager to have another celebration with the Brazilian title. In my opinion, Vitória and Fortaleza are the favorites, based on the moment they are going through, to stay in Serie A in 2026. Santos and Inter are the ones most at risk of relegation. It will be two matches to save the year or to face a huge failure.