Botafogo against Athletico

athletic It is Botafogo open the dispute for a place in the quarterfinals of the Copa do Brasil this Wednesday (17), at 21:30, in the Arena da Baixada. The teams meet again in the competition after 24 years – in 1999 the team from Rio advanced to the semifinals on penalties.

The return match is scheduled for May 31, also a Wednesday, at Nilton Santos.

Botafogo is going through a good moment in the season, with the isolated leadership, with 15 points, and having the top scorer of the Brasileirão, Tiquinhos Soares, with six goals. The 32-year-old striker is the team’s most decisive player this season, with 15 goals and four assists in 22 games. The alvinegro fan is also excited about the great performance of the team.

Despite the good phase, the stove lost an invincibility that lasted 15 matches (12 wins and three draws) after the 2-1 defeat by Goiás, last Sunday (15). In addition, to overcome Athletico, he will need to break a taboo that has lasted 15 years at Arena da Baixada.

Including all competitions, the last time Botafogo won at home was in 2008, when they scored 3-0 with goals from Lúcio Flávio, Jorge Henrique and Túlio, on August 3, for the seventh round of the Brasileirão.

Since then, there have been 12 matches, with Hurricane’s nine wins and three draws. Athletico’s last triumph was in the last round of last year’s Brasileirão, in November, with a 3-0 victory (goals by Adryelson against Vitor Roque and Erick), confirmation of a vacancy for the Libertadores and a party at the stadium with the farewell of Felipe as a coach.

In the 2023 season, Luís Castro’s Botafogo has 18 wins, five draws and five defeats in 28 games. The performance is 70.2% – fifth best among Serie A teams. Paulo Turra’s Athletico, in turn, leads the ranking (see below) with 22 wins, three draws and only three defeats in 28 matches. The Atlético team has also been undefeated at the Arena da Baixada since October 2022.

Botafogo must have maximum strength for the match. A likely lineup has: Lucas Perri, Di Plácido, Adryelson, Cuesta and Marçal; Marlon Freitas, Gabriel Pires (Tchê Tchê) and Eduardo; Junior Santos, Victor Sá and Tiquinho Soares.

general history

Considering clashes for Robertão, Copa Sudamericana, Copa do Brasil and Brasileirão, Athletico and Botafogo have faced each other 52 times, according to the website ogol.com.br. In total, there are 25 wins for Hurricane, eight draws and 19 wins for Botafogo.