Botafogo vs Vasco da Gama Prediction and Betting Tips

Botafogo and Vasco da Gama return to action in the Copa do Brasil when they square off in the second leg of the quarter-finals on Thursday. Having played out a stalemate in the reverse leg, a place in the semis remains up for grabs and we expect both sides to go all out at the Estádio Nilton Santos.

Botafogo turned in an impressive team display just before the international break when they cruised to a 4-1 victory over Red Bull Bragantino in their Serie A clash.

Davide Ancelotti’s men have picked up back-to-back league victories over Juventude and Bragantino in the league, with a 1-1 stalemate against Vasco da Gama in the first leg of the Copa do Brasil on August 28 sandwiched between the two victories.

Botafogo, who clinched the Serie A and Copa Libertadores titles last season, will look to continue from where they left off against Bragantino before the break as they eye a first-ever Copa do Brasil title.

Like the hosts, Vasco da Gama returned to winning ways last time out when they held on to see out a thrilling 3-2 victory over Sport Recife in Serie A.

Before that, Fernando Diniz’s side were on a three-game winless run, losing successive league games against Juventude and Corinthians before the stalemate versus Botafogo in the cup on August 28.

Vasco da Gama are facing their toughest challenge in the Copa do Brasil so far, having brushed aside lower-tier Operario-PR and CSA in their first two rounds of matches to reach the quarter-finals.

Botafogo vs Vasco da Gama Head-To-Head and Key Numbers

With 25 wins from the last 68 meetings between the sides, Vasco da Gama boast a slight upper hand in the history of this fixture.
Botafogo have picked up one fewer win in that time, while the spoils have been shared on 19 occasions.
Botafogo are unbeaten in 15 of their last 17 home games across all competitions since the start of March, picking up 12 wins and three draws in that time.
Vasco da Gama have won just two of their most recent seven away matches while losing three and picking up two draws since mid-July.

Botafogo vs Vasco da Gama Prediction

Given the stakes of Thursday’s clash, we expect Botafogo and Vasco to take the game to each other at the Estádio Nilton Santos as they aim for a place in the semi-finals.

However, Ancelotti’s men have been near impenetrable on their own patch this year and we are backing them to come out on top.

Prediction: Botafogo 2-0 Vasco da Gama

Botafogo vs Vasco da Gama Betting Tips

Tip 1: Result - Botafogo to win

Tip 2: Over 2.5 goals - No (There have been fewer than three goals scored in eight of the last 10 meetings between the two teams)

Tip 3: Over 4.5 cards - Yes (There have also been at least five bookings in five of their last seven encounters)

About the author

Joshua is a European and international football writer at Sportskeeda who covers news and match previews. He fell in love with the sport watching Didier Drogba and Samuel Eto’o win titles at club and international level, and his passion for the sport led him to become a professional football writer. He has an overall professional experience of 5 years.

Joshua supports Chelsea at club level, having witnessed a number of African stars break records with the club. Drogba’s equalizing header and match-winning shootout penalty for Chelsea against Bayern Munich in the 2012 UEFA Champions League final left a last impact on him. His favorite player is Eden Hazard and favorite manager is Jose Mourinho, who gave him the most joyous days as a Blues supporter. He believes that Cristiano Ronaldo is unlucky to be born in Messi’s era and favors the Argentine in the G.O.A.T. debate.

Joshua also follows the Portuguese Primeira Liga and the Nigeria Professional Football League and loves to play football during his free time. Having attained a B.Sc. in Petroleum Engineering from the University of Ibadan, he employs his problem-solving skills in crafting articles while doing extensive research to ensure each article is well thought out and crafted.

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