Ponte Preta
Ponte Preta are the sole representatives of Campinas in the Brasileirão, as their city neighbours Guarani now find themselves as low as Série C, having been in the top division as recently as 2010.
Guto Ferreira’s side will primarily be looking to avoid a similar fate, as their only task this season should be to avoid relegation.
Players to watch
Éverton Santos, who has represented 11 clubs at the age of 26, recently returned for a second stint with Ponte Preta, having spent last season playing for Seongnam Ilwa in South Korea.
Édson Bastos, 33, is likely to be kept busy between the sticks, while midfielder Memo is also worth keeping an eye on.
Portuguesa
Portuguese are arguably the least well known of the São Paulo sides, and this is reflected in their season expectations which, similar to Ponte Preta, will be to avoid the drop.
They scraped a 16th place-finish last time out as their higher profile neighbours Palmeiras were relegated. The club also suffer some of the lowest attendances in the league and wiill struggle this season.
Players to watch
Striker Diogo recently returned to the club where his career began, after injuries scuppered his time in Greece with Olympiakos. If the club are to stay up they will need the 25-year-old to recover the form that once made him a target of English clubs.
Santos
The club based in the coast city near São Paulo will need to become less reliant on Brazil’s latest worldwide sensation, Neymar. The 21-year-old is currently deciding between contract offers from Barcelona and Real Madrid and will be sorely missed this season, having netted 14 goals last season.
Santos coach Muricy Ramahlo has developed a reputation for counter-attacking football based around a 3-5-2 formation, which has been dubbed “muricybol” by many fans.
With eight Brasileirão titles, Santos are the most successful club in the league. However, their last triumph was back in 2004 and fans are getting restless.
Players to watch
Young goalkeeper Rafael can be impressive on his day, and he will be important to the side as they look to soak up pressure before launching the ball up-field.
Cícero, Felipe Anderson and the Argentinian duo of Walter Montillo and Ezequiel Miralles will need to make up for the absence of Neymar in attack.
Former Betis and Roma midfielder Marcos Assunção returns to the club this season, but at the age of 36 he will be used primarily for his expertise in dead ball situations.
Santos also have the token “new Neymar” in the shape of Neilton, but whether these comparisons extend beyond his hairstyle to his footballing ability remains to be seen. The 19-year-old has performed well at youth level and makes the step up to the first team this season.
There are fewer doubts, however, over 17-year-old forward Victor Andrade, who has already been compared with the likes of Santos legend Robinho.
São Paulo
Ney Franco’s heavyweights will be looking to improve on last season’s 4th place finish, but their recent 6-2 aggregate defeat to Atlético Mineiro in the Copa Libertadores is an indication of the tough task ahead.
Players to watch
The club have a talented side, which is lead from the back by set-piece taking goalkeeper Rogerio Ceni, who turned 40 this year and holds the Brazilian top-flight appearance record.
Attacking midfielder Ganso will be looking to recover the form which once had him mentioned in the same breath as Neymar, when the pair played together at Santos. The 23-year-old will be joined up top by former Sevilla striker Luís Fabiano and the most consistent of their forwards Jádson.
In defence they have a mixture of youth and experience in the form of 23-year-old Rafael Toloi and former Bayern Munich and Inter stalwart Lucio.
Ademilson will look to put a shaky start to the year behind him, and make the most of his chances from the bench. The 19-year-old is considered by many to be one of Brazil’s top striking prospects, and has the attributes to be a good all-round forward.
Vasco da Gama
Vasco finished a respectable 5th in the 2012 Brasileirão season, but have had problems on and off the pitch of late.
Financial problems resulted in the sale of star centre-back Dedé to league rivals Cruzeiro, and their performance in this year’s Taca Rio saw them finish a lowly 7th in a group of 8 local Carioca sides.
Players to watch
It is still unknown as to who will replace Dedé at the back alongside Renato Silva, but 20-year-old Brazilian Luan will be looking to make the position his own with some good early performances.
Former Benfica midfielder Fellipe Bastos and Atlético Mineiro loanee Fillipe Soutto could be worth looking out for in the deep-lying midfield positions.
Experienced Ecuadorian striker Carlos Tenorio seems to be the preferred option up-front, with another former Benfica player, Éder Luís, looking to partner him.
Vitória
Vitória ran out convincing winners during this season’s Baiano state championship, defeating city rivals Bahia 8-4 on aggregate having won the first leg 7- 3 at the Arena Fonte Nova.
This state win should give the team some confidence as they return to the top-flight, having spent the last two seasons in Série B.
Players to watch
Dinei netted four goals in the aforementioned 7-3 victory and it’s this type of goal-scoring form which will be required, from him or Argentinian striker Maxi Biancucchi, if the team are to survive this season.
Damian Escudero will be a useful addition to the squad, having joined the the club on a season-long loan from Boca Juniors, while defenders Fabrício and Gabriel Paulista, both in their early twenties, could come into the team and play an important part at the back.
Click here for the first part of James’ preview, covering teams A-C, and here for the second instalment of F-N.
Follow James on Twitter (@JDNalton) and visit his personal blog the Botafogo Star.
