Sao Paulo open up their league campaign at home to recently promoted Sport Recife, and there should only be one winner. The hosts have been in formidable form in front of their own fans for two seasons in a row - and last season they had the 3rd-best home form - which was better than Flamengo’s and Palmeiras’.

Lucas Moura continues to lead the line for his boyhood club, but their standout signing this window was Shanghai Port’s Oscar, who has excelled during the Paulista in the build-up to the league starting. Luis Zubeldia has built a strong team capable of finishing in the top six once again.

Sport Recife are one of the favourites to be relegated back to Serie B - and although they’ve spent a fair amount, a trip to Estadio Do MorumBIS is far from ideal in the opening week.

Two teams expected to fight for the title compete at the Maracana in week one. Filipe Luis has transformed Flamengo since his appointment six months ago, picking up no less than three titles within that period.

The hosts are favourites to pick up the title and it’s no real surprise to see why. Flamengo have a team filled with superstars, and having won their state cup heading into their league campaign, they will be full of confidence - especially at home.

But they won’t have it all their own way. Internacional have also built an incredibly strong team - and one that can also compete for titles this season. With Enner Valencia in fine form, his presence upfront could cause Flamengo plenty of issues. This fixture was the last game of the 2024 campaign, where Fla came out on top 3-2, and a similar scoreline looks possible once more.

Neymar, the star attraction, is likely to miss out on the trip to Rio de Janeiro after picking up an injury that also kept him out of the recent World Cup qualifiers. This is a huge boost for the hosts, who are looking to build on their solid 10th place finish last season.

Their success has largely been down to forward Pablo Vegetti, who has already scored six goals in 10 matches this campaign, who found the back of the net no less than 23 times across all competitions in 2024. Tucked in behind is Philippe Coutinho, a player who needs no introduction.

Santos have brought in some eye-catching players during the off-season, but the gulf in quality between Serie A and B is stark, and without their main man, this looks to be a tricky opening tie for the visitors.