Vitoria's season was far from impressive and satisfying but this club, one of the clubs without a large amount of quality in the squad, did manage to prevent the relegation to the Serie B again, which was the maximum result this season. This club managed to collect 45 points during the 2016 campaign, which was just enough to claim the crucial sixteenth spot and Vitoria repeated that achievement one year later. It was a bumpy road as Vitoria fought to stay alive during the full campaign. Manager Dejan Petkovic had to leave the club when Vitoria entered the relegation zone and his replacement Alexandre Gallo didn't stay that long as well.
Vagner Mancini took over when Vitoria seemed on their way to the Serie B. The club dropped to the 19th spot at some point, but Mancini somehow managed to restore some of the confidence, which was enough to close the gap with that crucial sixteenth spot again. Vitoria managed to collect 43 points this time, the same amount as Avai and Coritiba, but it still was enough to avoid the disaster. Coritiba and Vitoria both recorded eleven wins along the way, but Vitoria's goal difference proved eventually enough to secure the spot in the Serie A. It was a narrow escape to say the least. This team only recorded two defeats in their last eight matches of the season, which was enough to seal the deal.
