The Brazilian season opens this weekend with 27 state championships across this vast country and Corinthians team coach Mano Menezes said he will use the Paulista (Sao Paulo) state championship to prepare for the bigger tournaments ahead.
The Libertadores Cup, South America's top club competition which is a prize that has so far eluded Corinthians, starts in late February. The national championship kicks off in May before it is interrupted until mid-July for the World Cup in South Africa where the Brazil team will start as favourites.
"The Corinthian fan wants the Libertadores. He also wants the Paulista and the Brazilian (titles). But the Libertadores is part of a project that began two years ago with Mano Menezes and this team," Roberto Carlos told reporters on his return home from Fenerbahce of Turkey last month.
Flamengo, Brazil's most popular club who ended a 16-year wait for the national title, concentrated on retaining their winning team including the championship's top scorer Adriano who almost quit football in April when he was unhappy at Inter Milan following the death of his father.
Such was Adriano's recovery of his best form back in his home country that he also returned to the Brazil team last year with clubs from Italy and England hoping to tempt him to return to Europe.
Botafogo have responded by signing veteran Uruguay striker Sebastian "Loco" Abreu, who as a substitute headed the goal against Costa Rica in a World Cup qualifying playoff in November that secured his country's place at the finals.
Inter have a new coach in Uruguayan Jorge Fossati, who won the continent's second tier Copa Sudamericana with LDU Quito of Ecuador in 2009 and the South American Supercup - against Inter.
Cruzeiro, Libertadores Cup runners-up last year and in it again in 2010, will vie with Vanderlei Luxemburgo's Atletico Mineiro for the crown in Minas Gerais.
