Botafogo take on the visitors Vasco in quarterfinal match of Copa do Brazil. The match will be played on Friday, September 12th at Estadio Olimpico Nilton Santos (Rio de Janeiro).
Botafogo delivered an incredible performance last season. After years of struggles, they managed to win both Serie A and the Copa Libertadores. However, Arthur Jorge, the architect of that remarkable success, became embroiled in a family scandal, and it took a toll on his players’ form. Only by constantly changing managers did they start to fix things. Still, at both the Club World Cup and in the Copa Libertadores — despite making the knockout stage — they were eliminated immediately. And in Serie A, even with recent wins over Juventude and Red Bull Bragantino, they have only managed to rejoin the fight for 4th place. Botafogo have shown signs of stability, winning three of their last four league games. Their attack has regained sharpness, scoring at least twice in each of those victories.
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Vasco da Gama are slipping back into the relegation battle. “The Admirals” were recently known as an “elevator” club moving between divisions. Only lately has this Rio de Janeiro side managed to stay in Serie A. Last season, they even finished in the top ten with 50 points. That earned them a spot in the Copa Sudamericana, where they collected 8 points in their group to finish second, but were then thrashed 0-4 by Independiente del Valle and exited after a draw in the second leg. Now they need all their strength to survive in Serie A. Only a 3-2 win over Sport Recife in the last round lifted them out of the relegation zone — and even then, they’re level on 22 points with Vitoria, who sit 17th and in the drop zone. Vasco have struggled defensively, conceding 14 goals in their last five league matches. They’ve also been poor away from home, losing five of their last six road games.
In their last five derby meetings, “The Lone Star” have won twice and drawn once. The champions are still far from their title-winning form. But Davide Ancelotti’s men should be able to claim a home win here.
Prediction for the match: Botafogo to win.
