The final of the biggest championship in South America will be decided this Saturday by two Brazilian teams.
Palmeiras and Santos, two teams from São Paulo, will face each other in a duel with everything to be one of the most electrifying years of recent time.
Santos
Santos started the season with Portuguese Jesualdo Ferreira as their coach. After failing to perform satisfactorily, he was fired and replaced by Cuca. The coach arrived in August 2020 for his third stint on the team. He gave a standard of play for the team, which managed to grow and become the feared team that it ever was.
Santos comes to the duel living a good phase. There have been many problems outside the field over the past year: Santos, due to a FIFA punishment, has not been able to sign new players since March 2020. If that’s not enough, a financial and political crisis has hit the club and set another obstacle. Santos has managed to overcome all that and reach their fifth final of the Libertadores. Throughout the competition, they faced difficult teams, such as Grêmio, LDU Quito and Boca Juniors.
The best players in the team are its wingers. Marinho and Yeferson Soteldo are having great seasons, especially the first one, one of the country's best players. Also, centre-forward Kaio Jorge, who has only 18 years old, already has five goals in the competition, decisive in several moments. Lucas Veríssimo, an agile defender, already sold to Benfica, is the best defensive player.
The team's biggest weakness may be its midfield: there are good players there, but not as good as the opponents. Also, the team's reserve bench has no big names to offer if things get complicated.
Soteldo. Santos’ hope for the title. (Photo: CONMEBOL Libertadores)
Palmeiras
Palmeiras started the season with the legendary coach Vanderlei Luxemburgo. He even won the state championship against Corinthians. However, he was fired after a sequence of terrible results in the Brazilian title. His work was not at best, to say the least, and to take more significant missions, the team needed another name in charge.
Portuguese Abel Ferreira, who was in PAOK, Greece, was hired. Abel was not known in Brazil. Nevertheless, he soon proved to be an excellent commander. With him, Palmeiras started to play very well, and several players grew even more with him. The team reached the finals of the Copa do Brasil and Libertadores with Abel.
In the South American competition, Palmeiras had an easier path than Santos. In the group stage, no difficulties at all. The most challenging opponent came in the semifinals: the much-feared River Plate. The first game, in Argentina, was a Brazilian show. A resounding 3-0 for Abel Ferreira's team. In the return match, however, the Argentines almost returned the score. River scored twice, making it 2-0 in the first half and created countless chances in the second. To the delight of Palmeiras fans, that was it. Guaranteed final fifth place. The first since 2000.
The biggest strength of Palmeiras is the midfield. Three young guys who joined the professional squad this year are having a phenomenal season. Danilo, Patrick de Paula and Gabriel Menino are three of the most incredible talents in Brazil. All of them are under 21 and has everything to succeed in Europe in the coming years. The team's big problem is perhaps the lack of more incisive players, who can change the game with a sensational move.
Palmeiras goes to its fifth final, having won only once in its history (1999). It is one of the most traditional teams in the country in the competition, and the fans always sing that Libertadores is an obsession. For Santos, this is also the fifth final. However, they have already won three times (1962, 1963, 2011), and, if they win this time, they become the team in the country with the most titles in the competition.
Palmeiras is ready. (Photo: Palmeiras official Twitter)
Clássico da Saudade in a Libertadores Final
In recent years, both teams have developed an even greater rivalry. They played in the state championship final in 2015, which Santos won. In the same year, Palmeiras retaliated and won the Brazilian Cup Against Santos. In 2016, Palmeiras won the Brazilian Championship title, and Santos was runner-up. In that time, many epic duels and provocations.
The game between Santos and Palmeiras is known as "Clássico da Saudade". Translating, it would mean something like "The Good Times Classic". The reason is that, in the 60s, both teams dominated Brazilian football. At the time being, Brazil had the best players worldwide, playing in the local league. Some quality and beautiful football were played in the country back then. Santos had Pelé, the greatest of all times. Palmeiras had Ademir da Guia, one of the most prominent underrated players in Brazilian football history, oozing with class and style.
Trying to guess the game result is challenging. These are two teams with a huge rivalry and that have excellent players. Both coaches are great strategists and should not be able to sleep until this final.
Palmeiras and Santos are two of the biggest clubs in South America. They will play in the final of the biggest competition on the continent, in the most classic stadium in the world, Maracanã. The winner will represent South America in the Club World Cup. Losing that game is practically a crime against football.
Enjoy it, because there will be only a few who will live important moments like these, in the coming years.
Photo by Alexandre Loureiro / @staff_images
