Cruzeiro

Whilst Europe's major leagues are just returning after the summer hiatus, Brazil's national championship, the Campeonato Brasileiro, is about to arrive at the business end of the season as the tournament enters its second half.

And tomorrow night promises one of the most intriguing contests remaining on the domestic calendar.

Cruzeiro v Botafogo is already being touted as a “final” between the clubs that have become the two favourites for the title. The teams lie in first and second place respectively in the Brazilian league table after 21 rounds; Cruzeiro are currently four points ahead of their Rio rivals and are in magnificent form.

They have won seven matches in a row, have scored more goals than anyone else and have a side studded with experience and youthful exuberance. Before the national season started Cruzeiro signed arguably the best centre-back plying his trade in Brazil, Dede, from Vasco da Gama.

Vasco's financial woes forced them to sell their greatest asset and the man known as Mito, “Myth” has become part of the bedrock of a Cruzeiro defence that has conceded just 19 goals in 21 games.

Cruzeiro are a big, strong and physically intimidating side who pose a worrying danger at set pieces. The likes of Dede, Bruno Rodrigo and holding midfielder Nilton are major assets in the air. The latter scored the game's only goal on Saturday as they defeated fourth placed Atletico-PR to maintain their unbeaten start to life at the Mineirao, Belo Horizonte's biggest stadium renovated in preparation for next year's World Cup.

But in forward players Willian and Ricardo Goulart they have the type of small and tricky forwards who are the perfect contrast to the burly Borges or former Real Madrid player Julio Baptista. Cruzeiro have played 19 home matches this calendar year, and 18 have ended in victory with a solitary draw. They have done what any champion must—turned their home into a fortress.

But Botafogo are right behind them and are in good nick too. Unbeaten in five, they have won their last four, including a gutsy 2-1 win away to Libertadores-chasing Santos on Sunday evening.

Coach Oswaldo de Oliveira has done an excellent job over the last year and a half building a side not over reliant on any particular sector. The Champions League's most successful player, Clarence Seedorf, is the team's number 10 and it would have been easy to allow his presence to skew formation and tactics.

Instead, de Oliveira has moulded Seedorf into the team rather than vice versa. Whilst Cruzeiro are probably Brazil's most powerful side, Botafogo are without doubt the country's most balanced team, and especially threatening on the counter attack thanks to the passing accuracy of their midfield.

Goalkeeper Jefferson is the second choice national goalkeeper, and with Julio Cesar opting to stay with QPR in the Championship, could make the No. 1 jersey his before June.

In Doria, Botafogo have the best young central defender in the country by a long shot. Strong, quick and not afraid to have the ball at his feet, the 18-year-old has a massive future in the game.

During the European summer transfer window the teenager was linked with moves to Juventus, Chelsea and Tottenham Hotspur. If he gets his hands on a trophy with Botafogo this year he may well decide the time is right for a move, despite his young years.

But the team's principal strength lays in attacking midfield. The veteran Seedorf is paired with Uruguayan playmaker Nicolas Lodeiro and the pair are the main source of the side's goalscoring prowess, alongside Hyuri, who with three goals in two games is the latest promising youngster to win promotion from the Botafogo academy.

The team's sole weakness is in attack. Rafael Marques has eight goals in the Brasileiro campaign, and despite some fantastic finishes he can be culpable of missing gilt-edged chances.

Tomorrow cannot be an off day for Marques; another win for Cruzeiro would take them seven points clear at the top and deflate the clubs directly below them in the table.

The country is expected to come to a standstill at 9:50PM local time tomorrow night when the league's top two lock horns. It would be foolish to describe a game in the competition's 22^nd round as “season defining.” It could, however, go an awfully long way in deciding the fate of this year's trophy.

Brazil centre-back Dede secured his future in Brazilian football on Wednesday, with the announcement that the man known as "O Mito" (The Myth) would be joining Belo Horizonte side Cruzeiro.

The Mineiro side were triumphant, declaring "The Myth is ours" across the homepage of their official website. For the ambitious Brasileirao contenders, Dede's capture represents a major coup ahead of the 2013 league season.

But, for Dede, what does the deal mean? After all, this is a player linked with the bright lights of European football in recent weeks, with the likes of Chelsea among those most heavily linked. (Express)

Those plans, then, are on hold for the time being, as Dede assumes his role as the star man in Cruzeiro's pursuit of a Copa Libertadores place in 2014. For everyone concerned, including the player, it might not be as bad a career move as many in Europe would think.

At 24, it would normally have been the ideal time for the player to make a switch across the Atlantic, that much is true. However, Brazilian football is currently entering a far from normal period in its development.

The 2014 World Cup, which the country will host, is now having a major bearing on the decisions of those who are in line to appear at the event—Dede included.

At present, his participation next summer is far from secure. He is currently the fourth choice centre-back in Luiz Felipe Scolari's recent Brazil squads and, thus, is the most insecure of Brazil's defensive options.

In an ideal world, then, he would have remained at Vasco until after that tournament. The risks of adapting to playing football in a foreign country—at a side where competition would surely be intense—make maintaining the status quo Dede's safest option.

Vasco, though, are in a dire mess financially and, despite desperately attempting to retain their captain for as long as possible, have finally been forced to concede defeat and take the money on offer.

Cruzeiro, with their offer of €5 million on the table, were the first side to offer substantial money up front, and that money will now travel to the pockets of Vasco's various creditors, with former star Romario near the front of an alarmingly lengthy queue.

In that sense, the deal is a win-win scenario for all sides. Cruzeiro obtain a wonderful defender at a low price, Vasco obtain a cash injection that should secure their immediate future, and Dede can continue to push his case ahead of Brazil 2014 in relative comfort, with a side aiming to win titles in the coming year.

However, there is another winner in all this—investment company DIS. Dede's ownership is not a simple setup, with Cruzeiro simply purchasing much of the 45% of the player's economic rights owned by Vasco. The overall value of the player in this transaction, then, is closer to €11 million.

DIS will retain their own 45 percent stake in the player, as will separate financiers Agility with their remaining 10 percent stake. DIS, though, who own rights to several famous Brazilian talents, will join Cruzeiro paying some of €5 million fee and, in turn, increasing their ownership of the player.

Thus, the club save some money and obtain a standout defender, while DIS increase their ownership of one of their most valuable assets. With the English FA forbidding third-party involvement in player ownership, this move represents their last chance to maximise their profit.

Assuming Dede's value does not drop below its current €11 million level, DIS stand to make a further profit on their increased investment. Given the figures that have previously been quoted for Dede, that should be a mere formality.

Cruzeiro, then, will not expect to retain Dede for long—most probably until after the 2014 World Cup. However, they and their new business partners could both make a tidy profit in 12 months time, while the club will also benefit from the player's talents for that period.

With Dede himself looking to remain in familiar environs and push his claims for a place at the World Cup, it is somewhat of a marriage of convenience. His time in Europe, potentially in the the Premier League, will still inevitably come.

For now, though, he will seek to guide his new side to long-awaited success and could well begin with the state championship title in the weeks to come. Should he do so, then a place at the 2014 World Cup and subsequent move to a European giant surely await.