Botafogo and Cruzeiro face at Estádio Nilton Santos, in a match for the 23rd round of Serie A. Cruzeiro won at home by (1-0) the last time they met in this edition of the league, on 06-05 -2018. The history of recent direct confrontations is favorable to the visiting team, which records 5 wins, 2 draws and 1 loss in the last 8 matches. In this game the home factor may be decisive, since the Botafogo presents considerable differences in their results at home and as a visitor.
Botafogo:
The home team is currently in the 15 th position of the league, with 25 points won, after 6 wins, 7 draws and 9 losses. In the penultimate match, they won in a home match against Sport Recife, by (2-0). In the last match, they lost in an away match against Grêmio, by (4-0). This is a team that usually makes good use of the home advantage, stronger with the help of its supporters, since in the last 30 matches they register 3 wins, 3 draws and 9 losses in away matches; against 7 wins, 5 draws and 3 losses at their stadium. In the last 10 home league matches Botafogo has won 5, tied 4 and lost 1, for which they have won 19 points out of 30 possible. In their home league matches the most frequent result at half-time was the 0-0 (6 out of 10 matches). The team has conceded goals in 7 of the last 10 matches, so it has not presented great defensive solidity, and their attack needs to improve, as they have not scored goals in 7 of the last 10 matches for this competition. In 22 games in this competition, he never got the comeback in the 11 games in which he suffered the first goal. In the last 10 away matches for this competition there is 1 period that stands out: they have conceded 3 of their 7 goals between minutes (31′-45 ‘).
Botafogo is a club that has already won the Serie A of the Brazilian Championship, being the most recent title conquered in 1995, in addition to a B Series title of the Brazilian Championship, in 2015, a final of the Brazilian Cup in 1999 and in a South American Recopa, in 1994. In the current season, the team has been doing a bad campaign, winning only 25 of the 66 points played so far, occupying the fifteenth position of the national championship, four points ahead of the relegation zone. In the last five games that Botafogo played at home, counting only the national championship, they were all scored less than 1.5 goals in the first half. We believe that in this match Botafogo will play another game with few goals, as it will play against a team that has a very strong defensive sector.
Cruzeiro:
The away team is currently in the 7 th position of the league, with 31 points won, after 8 wins, 7 draws and 7 losses. In the penultimate match, they won in a home match against Fluminense, by (2-1). In the last match, they tied at home against Internacional by (0-0). This is a team that usually maintains its competitive level in home and away matches, since in the last 30 matches they register 6 wins, 4 draws and 5 losses in away matches; against 8 wins, 4 draws and 3 losses at their stadium. For the championship, Cruzeiro won 10 points out of 30 possible, after 2 wins, 4 draws and 4 losses in the last 10 home matches.
For this competition, they have not won any of the last 6 away matches. In their away league matches the most frequent result at half-time was 0-0 (8 out of 11 matches). They have not been very strong defensively, since they have suffered goals in 9 of the last 10 matches for this competition. In their away matches there is a tendency for few goals, since 11 of the last 11 matches for this competition have ended with Under 2,5 goals. In 22 matches in this competition, he only managed 2 comebacks in the 12 matches in which he suffered the first goal. In the last 11 home matches for this competition there is 1 period that stands out: they have conceded 4 of their 10 goals between minutes (76′-90 ‘).
The Cruzeiro is a mining club that has already won the Copa Libertadores twice throughout its history, being the most recent title won in 1997. In addition, the Cruzeiro has four titles of the Brazilian Championship of the Serie A, being the last title conquered in 2014. In the current season the team has not managed to stay among the first classified, due to the lack of victories away from home. When analyzing the last five games away from home, we see that they drew three times and lost two, winning three points in fifteen disputed. We believe that Cruzeiro will have difficulties away from home and will play a game with great emphasis on the defensive sector, especially in the first half.
PREDICTION: Over 1.5 goals @ 1.46
