When this year's version of the Copa Libertadores got under way, we posed a question: can anyone stop the Brazilian domination?

The answer has been an emphatic "no".

This will be the seventh Brazilian win in a row, because the final, like four of the others in that time, is an all-Brazilian affair.

The big hitters of Flamengo and Palmeiras will contest the title in the Peruvian capital of Lima on Saturday, a game you can watch live on BBC Three from 21:00 GMT.

Whoever comes out on top will become the first Brazilian team to lift the trophy four times - and almost all of these triumphs have come in this recent period of domination.

Going into 2019 they had one title apiece - meaning that, including this year, either Flamengo or Palmeiras have claimed the Libertadores in five of the past seven seasons.

It is a similar story in the domestic league. The pair have been going toe to toe in the quest to be Brazilian champions, with Flamengo pulling away in the last few days.

With two rounds to go they lead Palmeiras by five points. Whether they get over the line - or if they slip up and are overtaken - it will mean the pair will have shared the league title in seven of the past 10 years.

Flamengo against Palmeiras is a relatively recent rivalry, but there is no doubt that it currently stands as South America's biggest game.

This unprecedented period of one country's domination of the Libertadores predictably has its roots in finance.

Once the money started flowing into the Brazilian game, and once they had sorted out their historically chaotic off-field situation, it was all but inevitable that Flamengo would rise to the surface.

They are a giant club, very possibly the biggest outside Europe, based in Rio de Janeiro but with a national fanbase in a massive country.

Part of this dates from the 1930s, when a club associated with the Rio elite conducted a successful act of re-branding, signing the three leading black players of the day and acquiring the popular touch.

With the new glamorous medium of radio taking their matches all over Brazil, they won hearts and minds on a national basis.

The presence of Palmeiras in the big two is a bit more surprising. That space would seem more likely to belong to local rivals Corinthians, the biggest club of Sao Paulo, the biggest city in the country.

But Corinthians have proved unable to sort out their finances, and Palmeiras have taken full advantage. Doing a shrewd deal to have probably the best of Brazil's new stadiums at minimum cost, they are a well-run outfit.

The club of Sao Paulo's huge Italian community, they used to be called 'Palestra Italia' until the Second World War forced a change of name.

There is a similarity in the model of the clubs - produce and sell young stars and use the proceeds to finance a squad with both depth and quality.

If anything, Palmeiras have been doing it better. Flamengo have profited from the sales of Vinicius Junior, Lucas Paqueta and Matheus Franca. Palmeiras have cashed in on Estevao, Endrick, Luis Guilherme and Vitor Reis.

These two met in the 2021 final - Palmeiras won 2-1, the winning goal presented to them by an error from former Premier League midfielder Andreas Pereira, who now plays for Palmeiras.

Both sides are stronger than they were four years ago, their bulging pockets able to buy players from Europe, and cherry-pick from the other South American leagues.

The Flamengo starting line-up that reached the final featured six foreigners plus Jorginho, the ex-Chelsea and Arsenal midfielder who represents Italy. Palmeiras started with four non-Brazilians and brought two more off the bench.

Participation in the Club World Cup made them richer.

This year, Flamengo have brought in Jorginho, Danilo, one-time Tottenham right-back Emerson Royal and the Atletico Madrid pair of Saul and Samuel Lino.

Palmeiras have acquired goalkeeper Carlos Miguel and Paraguayan winger Ramon Sosa from Nottingham Forest, Andreas Pereira from Fulham and striker Vitor Roque, the most expensive player ever bought by a Brazilian club, from Barcelona.

This kind of strength in depth explains why Saturday's game is billed as 'the final of the century'.

In recent times, very few high-profile Brazilian players have gone into coaching.

Filipe Luis is an exception, and a great hope.

The former Atletico Madrid (and Chelsea) left-back retired at Flamengo two years ago, took charge of the youth teams and stepped up to the seniors after they fell in the quarter-finals of last year's Libertadores.

Intelligent and articulate, he looks to have a bright future.

And that also applies to opposite number Abel Ferreira of Palmeiras.

The Portuguese has been in charge of Palmeiras for five years - an eternity in Brazilian football.

There is much of the young Jose Mourinho about him - in the excesses of some of his touchline antics and, more importantly, in the clarity of his thought, in his capacity to change his team between and during matches.

Right from the start his players were fascinated with him.

"He always has a plan," they said. Ferreira's approach to Saturday's game is the key unknown going into the big match.

Palmeiras had to rethink after the loss of Estevao to Chelsea and a disappointing Club World Cup.

Vitor Roque made an unconvincing start - until Ferreira made a change.

Recognising that the striker likes space, and was not working squeezed between the centre-backs, the coach moved Vitor Roque towards the left channel, and brought in Argentine centre-forward Juan Manuel 'Flaco' Lopez to play alongside him.

They clicked together, although having a strike duo can put a strain on the rest of the side.

That was the case when they last met Flamengo, just over a month ago.

Although they were away from home, Palmeiras pressed high. Flamengo adapted. Instead of their normal style, working the ball through Jorginho in midfield, they went direct. They had less possession and fewer shots, but won 3-2, and perhaps more convincingly than the scoreline would suggest.

There are plenty of reasons to believe Saturday's game will be different. For a start, Flamengo centre-forward Pedro, outstanding that day, is injured and misses the final.

Filipe Luis lacks a like-for-like replacement. A possibility would have been Ecuadorian winger Gonzalo Plata, who has at times filled that role, but he is suspended.

Flamengo, then, cannot reproduce what they did in October, and, almost certainly, Palmeiras will look to do something different.

The calendar of Brazilian football is insane, the quantity of travel and the number of games transforming the season into an endurance test. Players are now on their last legs, and this could force Abel Ferreira into a cautious approach, often his natural inclination for big games.

Might he go with five at the back? It is a possibility. Flamengo love stretching their opponents, reeling them in and then switching for ex-Manchester United right-back Guillermo Varela to appear as an element of surprise at the far post.

Palmeiras could follow the lead of the Argentine teams in the previous rounds and block that with a back five.

Ferreira could set up to hold off Flamengo's depleted attacking resources, seek to contain their outstanding playmaker, the Uruguayan Giorgian de Arrascaeta and spring Vitor Roque on the break.

The match, then, could well be attritional, at times generating more heat than light. But whatever happens it is going to be dramatic, it is going to be historic and across South America it is going to be remembered for a long time to come.