BRAZILIAN
Next rival, Cuiabá is experiencing crisis on and off the field
Published on November 27, 2024 at 3:58 pm
Bahia squad has just three games to guarantee qualification to the Libertadores Credit: Rafael Rodrigues/EC Bahia
In the final stretch of the Brazilian Championship, Bahia will face opponents who no longer fight for anything else in the competition. Of the tricolor’s last three rivals in the tournament, Cuiabá and Atlético-GO are already relegated to Series B.
This Saturday’s opponent (30), at 7:30 pm, at Arena Pantanal, Cuiabá had its fall mathematically decreed this Tuesday (26), after the 0-0 draw between Criciúma and Fluminense, at Maracanã, in the 35th round, and the victory of Juventude over Atlético-MG, 3×2, at Independência, in the opening of the 36th.
With 30 points, Cuiabá can only add nine more points until the end of the competition and has no chance of leaving the relegation zone. The crisis on the field extends outside of it. The board delayed payment of salaries for October and intends to pay the payroll only in January. The club has already released two players from the squad.
Atlético-GO, opponents in the last round of the Brasileirão, on December 8th, at 4pm, at Fonte Nova, are the bottom of Serie A and were mathematically relegated over the weekend. The team only has 26 points.
Between clashes with Cuiabá and Atlético-GO, the Squadron will face Corinthians, next Tuesday (3), at 8pm, at Neo Química Arena. The black and white team has the same 47 points as the Bahian team and is a direct opponent in the fight for a place in the next Libertadores.
Bahia’s next games:
- 11/30 – Cuiabá x Bahia, 7:30 pm
- 03/12 – Corinthians x Bahia, 20h
- 12/08 – Bahia x Atlético-GO, 4pm
Speaking of Libertadores, despite the crisis that Bahia is experiencing in the final stretch of the Brasileirão – the team has not won in seven matches -, the tricolor is still in the fight for a place in the international competition.
The Bahian club is in 8th place, tied with Corinthians, 9th, and Cruzeiro, 7th, all with 47 points. The team from Minas Gerais closes the classification zone for the Libertadores and can open the gap as they face Grêmio, this Wednesday, in a game for the 35th round.
According to the Federal University of Minas Gerais (UFMG), the Squadron has a 29.4% chance of classification. If they win both games against the relegated teams, the Bahian team will reach 53 points. With this score, the probability of playing Liberta is 59.9%.
Bahia would still have a direct confrontation with Corinthians, away from home. According to calculations, with 56 points (the maximum that the tricolor can reach in the current edition) the chances rise to 99.6%.
It is worth noting that Bahia can still benefit from the opening of another place for the Libertadores via Brasileirão if Botafogo wins the Liberta title over Atlético-MG. The decision in a single game will be this Saturday (30), at 4 pm, at the Monumental de Nuñez stadium, in Buenos Aires.
