FUTEBOL THE BRAZILIAN WAY OF LIFE                               www.ofutebol.com Weekly Newsletter, November 11 2005

Hi futebolista, Carlos Alberto Parreira has declared that Brazil will win the 2006 World Cup. And he's not the only one that thinks so. French legend Michel Platini was also enthusing about the football the Selecao have been playing and believes they are the big favourites to triumph in Germany. Next up for Brazil come matches against United Arab Emirates on Saturday and a Kuwait XI three days later. Ricardo Oliveira has been ruled out of action for at least two months and if Fred impresses in the Middle East, it could be curtains for the Real Betis forward's World Cup chances. Brazil trounce Argentina - again. This time it was in the final of the South American Under-15 Championships, when a Bernardo treble helped the Selecao to a 6-2 win over their bitter rivals. Relegation and Flamengo aren't supposed to go together. But until Joel Santana took over recently, the country's biggest club looked to be heading for Serie B. However, three successive victories have turned things around and on Sunday, Flamengo take on Ponte Preta looking to move one step closer to safety. Picking up a positive result is crucial for Ponte. A win could see them resume their battle for qualification to the 2006 Copa Sul-Americana but a loss would leave them fretting over their own top flight status. These are the current standings; 1 - Corinthians 74 2 - Internacional 68 3 - Fluminense 68 4 - Goias 64 ---------------------- 5 - Palmeiras 58 6 - Parana 57 7 - Cruzeiro 57 16 - Sao Caetano 44 17 - Flamengo 44 18 - Coritiba 42 ---------------------- 19 - Figueirense 41 20 - Paysandu 38 21 - Brasiliense 38 22 - Atletico-MG 34 Barcelona's Deco has stoked the flames of ahead of his side's meeting with archrivals Real Madrid, claiming that Samuel Eto'o is better than Ronaldo. The Brazilian number 9 prefers to do his talking on the pitch and has vowed to make his return from injury in time to face his former club. An interesting shootout ensues. The battle for the Brasileiro's player of the season award looks to be between two foreigners - Petkovic and Carlos Tevez. But Mario Zagallo believes that Nilmar should pick up the honour. The sparkling form of the young Brazilian could even prompt Corinthians to abandon a big money move for Vagner Love. Triple elimination. Fluminense, Corinthians and International all surrendered first-leg leads, to Universidad Catolica, Pumas and Boca Juniors respectively, to crash out of the Copa Sul-Americana. Have a great weekend, amigos. Ate logo... Alex, Ian & Mark (the Ofutebol team) * * * * * * * * Sponsored Links * * * * * * * * In the UK on Sunday, Ponte Preta vs. Flamengo is live on Sky Digital Channel 425. Programme starts at 5:15pm. William Hill has Ponte favourites at 23/20 with Flamengo priced at 7/4 and the draw a 12/5 shot. Visit the Sky Digital Channel 425 website * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * Forward To a Friend Unsubscribe to our Newsletter Visit: www.ofutebol.com