Brazilian heavyweights Botafogo and Palmeiras are set to lock horns in the first leg of their Copa Libertadores round-of-16 tie at Estadio Nilton Santos on Thursday morning.
The winner at the end of this two-legged tie will continue their continental cup journey in the quarter-final later this month, where they will take on either Nacional or Sao Paulo.
Match preview
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Botafogo booked their spot in the last 16 of the Copa Libertadores by finishing second in their group with 10 points in their six matches, including a record of three wins, one draw and two losses.
They had an identical record to group winners Atletico Junior but were forced into second place on the head-to-head tiebreaker, having lost 3-1 to Los Tiburones in their opening match of the competition.
Fogo have also been enjoying a solid Brasileiro campaign, currently leading the standings after 22 matches, although they have seen their lead trimmed to just one point following a loss to Juventude last weekend.
That result came after a 1-0 defeat to Bahia three days earlier, which saw them bow out of the Copa do Brasil 2-1 on aggregate, and they have only won one of their last six matches in all competitions.
However, Artur Jorge's side does still possess an impressive home record, with just one defeat conceded in their last nine matches in all competitions, while they also beat their upcoming opponents 1-0 at this venue during that period.
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Meanwhile, after winning Brasileiro in each of the last two seasons, Palmeiras's hold on the top-flight title is in serious jeopardy this term, as they are currently in fourth place and trailing the league leaders by five points.
Additionally, following a 1-1 draw to Flamengo over the weekend, Verdao are now winless in their last four top-flight matches (W0 D2 L2), and have also played a game more than the sides in second and third place.
Over the last two weeks, Abel Ferreira's side have also seen their Copa do Brasil hopes evaporate, as their 1-0 win in the second leg was not enough to overturn a 2-0 loss to Mengao from a week earlier.
However, despite their struggles this season, Palmeiras have been excellent in this competition, as they came through the group stage with 14 points and unbeaten (W4 D2 L0), finishing six points above San Lorenzo in second.
Verdao now need to find the type of form they showed earlier in this competition if they are to progress, though, as they enter this match having failed to win any of their last seven away games and were shut out in four of those matches.
Team News
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Botafogo are set to remain without the services of Rafael, Matheus Nascimento and Pablo, all of whom have not featured at all this season and are likely to remain sidelined for a while longer with injuries.
Jeffinho is closing in on a return from a hamstring strain but this match will likely have come too soon for him, while Junior Santos is now facing an extended period on the sidelines after suffering a broken tibia last month.
For Palmeiras, left-back Joaquin Piquerez sustained a cruciate ligament tear when these sides met last month and has now been ruled out for the remainder of the season after undergoing surgery.
Bruno Rodrigues also underwent surgery earlier this season and is out until next month. Felipe Anderson (eye) and Mayke (calf) are flagged as doubts, while Dudu is sidelined for the next two weeks with an ankle injury.
Botafogo possible starting lineup:
Victor; Ponte, Bastos, Barboza, Cuiabano; Danilo, Freitas, Henrique, Savarino, Almada; Jesus
Palmeiras possible starting lineup:
Weverton; Gomez, Reis, Cerqueira; Giay, Moreno, Rios, lazaro, Rony; Vanderlan, Lopez
We say: Botafogo 1-0 Palmeiras
While Palmerias have been the more successful side in this fixture in recent years, their away form of late has been very poor and they were beaten by this opponent at this venue less than a month ago.
Indeed, Botafogo have not been at their best lately either, but their home record is still among the best in their division and we feel they will edge Verdao to a first-leg lead in this tie.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
Devesh Jaganath
