Only one round remains for the conclusion of Serie B, and 6 teams are battling for 2 spots to secure promotion. In 2023, the championship has shown an absurd balance, being one of the most fiercely contested in the world.
At the bottom of the table, 4 teams are trying to avoid the last 2 remaining spots in the relegation zone.
The 10 decisive matches of the round take place at 5:00 PM on Saturday.
Follow us on social networks to stay updated on the latest foreign football news and exclusives: Instagram, Facebook e X.
Index
Fight for Serie B promotion
After defeating Novorizontino in the 36th round, Vitória secured promotion and became the champion of Serie B, the club’s first national title in 124 years of history. The most impressive aspect of this achievement is that in the middle of 2022, the Bahia-based club had a 51% risk of relegation to the Fourth Division and only a 2.6% chance of qualifying for the second phase of Serie C. However, Leão da Barra rose again, moved up to the second division, and clinched the title.
Photo: Divulgação/Vitória / Esporte News Mundo
Criciúma was the second team to secure a spot in Serie A, after defeating Botafogo-SP at home in the 37th round. Led by veteran Eder in the final stretch, Tigre returns to the top division after 10 seasons.
Photo: Reprodução/Twitter X
Juventude and Vila Nova occupy the 3rd and 4th positions, respectively, and depend only on themselves to stay among the top 4. The Jaconera team faces Ceará, which is not fighting for anything in the championship, away from home, while Vila faces the bottom-ranked ABC, also away from their home turf.
In 5th place, Atlético-GO has the same number of points as Vila Nova but one less win. The Dragon faces Guarani in front of their supporters to secure promotion.
From 6th to 8th place, three teams have 60 points—Novorizontino, Mirassol, and Sport. Novorizontino faces the already qualified Criciúma at home, while Mirassol plays away against Tombense, who is fighting for survival in the last round.
Despite a strong start in Serie B, Sport had a very inconsistent finish. After defeating Novorizontino in the 22nd round and reaching the top, the Pernambuco team’s performance declined. In the last 15 games, Leão only secured 3 victories and is now an outsider in the promotion race. Coach Enderson Moreira was fired after losing to Vitória in the 37th round.
If promotion does not come, Sport could break a negative record, as Leão spent 26 rounds among the top 4, and in the era of the points system, no team has spent that much time in the top 4 and failed to be promoted. Leão da Ilha faces Sampaio Corrêa in the last round.
Relegation Battle
In the fight against relegation, Sampaio Corrêa, Ponte Preta, Tombense, and Chapecoense are fighting for survival in Serie B.
Although Sampaio Corrêa and Ponte Preta have 2 more points than Tombense and Chapecoense, they cannot rely on a draw in the last round, as if the teams in the relegation zone win, they will equal in points and surpass them based on the number of victories.
In the 37th round, the only team to triumph was Sampaio Correa, who defeated Avaí 4-0. Now, the Maranhense team faces Sport away from home.
Ponte Preta plays at home against CRB, which is not fighting for anything in the championship. The Macaca played in Serie C in 1990, the only time in its history, so it tries to dispel this ghost in front of its supporters at the Moisés Lucarelli.
Tombense and Chapecoense need to win their games and hope that Sampaio and Ponte do not win to stay in Serie B. The mining team faces Mirassol, which is fighting for a place in the top division, while Chape plays at home against the champion Vitória.
Londrina and ABC are already relegated to Serie C.
Serie B Table
Photo: Globoesporte
Written by Henry Miller.
