The Golden Nuggets - 2010/11 - Campeonato Brasileiro Serie A

By Sports Magician

The Brasileiro recommences on July 14th with Corinthians sitting on top of the pile along with Ceara, whom they meet on the 15th. Both sides are unbeaten after seven games and are two and five points clear of Fluminense and Santos respectively. Corinthians coach Mano Menezes is one of a number of names being linked with the now vacant Brazil job, but even if the Sao Paulo based club were to lose his services to the national team, they can still maintain a very credible title challenge.

The current Corinthians side doesn’t have the problems that some of their rivals have, that being highly prized young assets who may only be with the club for the matter of a few more weeks as the European transfer deadline draws ever closer. Santos, in particular, will struggle mightily to justify their tag as joint-favourites - aside from the five point deficit that separates them from the leaders - due to the fact that Neymar and Paulo Henrique Ganso are so highly sought after. Santos claim they will not sell below their asking price, but the strength of that promise will be tested to the max once serious bids (and by that I don’t mean the unrealistically low offer West Ham made for Neymar) come in, as they surely will. You would have thought that having such star attractions wouldn’t be a cause for problems, but given that the sale of these players ends up creating a hole that cannot be filled in short order, these kind of departures have derailed many a title challenge in South America.

Corinthians have based their side around veterans, some of which have returned from years in Europe to see out their careers. Ronaldo continues to be the most high-profile name at the club, and despite nearing the very end of his career and continued fluctuations in weight, he still maintains that killer instinct in front of goal that made him the most feared striker of his generation. Corinthians haven’t won the title since 2005, when Carlos Tevez inspired the team during a season which was filled with corruption and led to 11 matches being replayed, but they can win their 5th Brasileiro this season.

PICK: 3*CORINTHIANS WIN CAMPEONATO BRASILEIRO SERIE A @ 6.00 (SPORTINGBET)

Tomorrow the Golden Nuggets will be taking a look at the Copa Libertadores.

Sports Magician