Under pressure, Botafogo faces Grêmio in a direct duel for the title

Botafogo will have another ‘fire test’ in the fight for the Brazilian Championship title. After losing the direct confrontation to Palmeiras and the classic to Vasco, they will face Grêmio, who still dreams of the cup. The match, valid for the 33rd round, will be held in São Januário, in Rio de Janeiro (RJ), as Engenhão is reserved for shows by the band RBD.

Botafogo’s sequence has been thankless. The defeat to Palmeiras was especially painful because the Rio team opened 3-0 in the first half and, even so, lost 4-3. Last Monday, they lost the classic to Vasco, 1-0, in the same São Januário, with performance well below expectations. And, after facing Grêmio, there will be another direct duel with Red Bull Bragantino.

As a result, they have been without a win for four games, with three defeats in a row, as they were previously beaten by Cuiabá, 1-0. With 59 points, they need to fight again for the lead, under pressure from Palmeiras, Red Bull Bragantino and Grêmio themselves. .

+ Check out the complete Brasileirão table

The situation caused several fans to go to Botafogo’s CT to protest this Wednesday, with banners and threatening war cries, such as “If we don’t win, we’ll be beaten.” Some leaders, such as former player and current assistant coach Joel Carli and full-back Marçal, went to talk to the fans.

Despite having the support of the group, coach Lúcio Flávio has not been pleased, but he should not fail because a new change of coach is considered even more damaging by the board. The good news for the game is that it can count on three returns: defenders Adryelson and Victor Cuesta and midfielder Marlon Freitas, who were suspended. Therefore, they should take the place of Philipe Sampaio, Bastos and Danilo Barbosa, respectively.

On the other hand, they will have a significant absence in attack. None other than Tiquinho Soares, top scorer with 16 goals, who received his third yellow card. Luis Henrique and Diego Costa, who entered the classic, are options.

Despite the turbulent moment, Lúcio Flávio reinforced confidence in the Botafogo squad. “It’s a moment in which no one is satisfied and against Grêmio we cannot make these mistakes. We, who are here, have a lot of confidence, because we know the potential of our group. We have seven more games to go. We really believe that we have all the conditions to pursue this objective (title) and we will go after it without a doubt.”

If Botafogo hasn’t won in four games, Grêmio has beaten its last four opponents: Flamengo (3-2), América-MG (4-3), Coritiba (2-1) and Bahia (1-0). With 56 points, the team from Rio Grande do Sul can equal Botafogo’s score, although the Rio de Janeiro team have one game in hand.

Grêmio also wants to take advantage of the good moment as a visitor. The victories against América-MG and Coritiba were away from home, ending an eight-game streak. In total, he has played 16 matches, with five wins, three draws and eight defeats.

Coach Renato Gaúcho was mysterious about Grêmio’s lineup. The big question is whether or not the scheme with three defenders will be maintained. If he maintains, he will be able to repeat the lineup from the last match, as there are no new absences.

The medical department remains full, with Pedro Geromel and Pepê being the main absences. The good news is that Nathan and Iturbe, recovered from injury, and Ronald and Gustavo, who returned after the Pan-American Games, are available.

Despite the difficulty, Renato Gaúcho did not hide that he still dreams of the title, but asked the team to focus on doing their part. “Of course I believe, we are three points behind Botafogo. I know they have one game in hand, but they need to win. The important thing is that we do our homework. They support us, we support them too. The dream is still alive. As long as we can, we have to dream, and so do the fans, nothing is impossible.”