Serie A about to begin

With most State Championships now over, it's time for soccer in Brazil to concentrate back to its most important tournament, the National Serie A.

Will two-time defending champion Sao Paulo manage a third consecutive championship? Will Palmeiras continue its strong play that rewarded the team with its first State championship this decade? Can Flamengo and Cruzeiro overcome the disappointment of being eliminated at home from Copa Libertadores contention this midweek, after falling to America (Mexico) and Boca Juniors respectively?

Without traditional Corinthians, relegated to the Serie B, the Serie A will definitely have a different flavor to the second largest group of fans in the country. The team can only hope to repeat the path taken previously by other powerhouses that reemerged from the Second Division in recent years: Palmeiras, Botafogo, Fluminense, Gremio and Atletico Mineiro.

It's all up for grabs with 38 matches to be played by each team, until the beginning of the still far December.

With the Serie A back in play, so is this blog, which was dormant for the first four months of the year.

Welcome back!