Vitória goes to its fourth clash of the year against Botafogo with the mission of ensuring permanence

There are four matches left before the Brazilian Championship ends and Vitória is heading towards remaining in the first division. With 12th place and 41 points, Leão goes to Rio de Janeiro with the mission of overthrowing the leader of Série A within its domains and increasing the probability of remaining in the elite. In a match valid for the 35th round, the confrontation with the Cariocas takes place this Saturday (23), starting at 7:30 pm.

Leader of Series A, Fogão has 69 points in the championship and enters the game against Leão under pressure to score. With just two points difference over Palmeiras, Artur Jorge’s men could be overtaken if they stumble. As a point of concern for the red and blacks, the team has already faced its rival in the round on three other occasions in 2024 and left the field defeated in all clashes.

The first duel took place for the Copa do Brasil, when the Bahian team was still led by Léo Condé and lost 1×0. In the return game, Leão’s technical command had already changed. In Carpini’s debut game, another setback for the black and white team, this time by 2×1. In the first round of the Brasileirão, Vitória was also defeated by the minimum score.

Despite the negative record in 2024, the history between the two teams proved to be balanced. There were 49 matches played between Botafogo and Vitória in history. Between three competitions, each side shares 17 positive results, while 14 matches ended in a draw. As a visitor, Leão has only six wins, while they have lost eight games, the same number of draws. The Cariocas’ last setback for the Bahian club happened in 2017, when the red-black team won 3-2 at Nilton Santos.

Meeting his debut opponent again, Thiago Carpini will count on the return of striker Everaldo. The player was suspended against Criciúma, in the last round. Unlike the last games, the commander will not have new casualties and will be able to go with full force.

However, the doubt remains due to the scheme chosen by the coach. The tendency is for the design with three defenders to be used again. With this, Edu would return to the starting lineup and one of the point guards would be sacrificed. Based on his performance on the field, it is most likely that Mosquito will be chosen.

Probable Vitória lineup: Lucas Archangel; Raúl Cáceres, Edu, Neris, Wagner Leonardo and Lucas Esteves; Ricardo Ryller and Willian Oliveira; Matheusinho, Carlos Eduardo and Alerrandro.

In addition to the team occupying first place in the Brazilian Championship table, Botafogo is qualified for the Libertadores final. In addition, the black and white team holds the mark of being the fourth best home team in Serie A, with 37 points gained in 17 games and only two defeats in front of their fans. The performance is equivalent to a 72% utilization rate.

For this Saturday’s game, Portuguese Artur Jorge will be without defender Barboza and striker Luiz Henrique. The players were sent off in the clash against Atlético-MG and are left out. There is also the possibility that other players will be spared for the decisive match against Palmeiras, on Tuesday (6).

On the other hand, Vitória is the seventh club with the most points won away from home in the Brasileirão. There are 18 totals in 17 matches in the competition, which is equivalent to a 35% success rate.

Botafogo’s probable lineup: John; Vitinho, Bastos, Adryelson and Alex Telles; Marlon Freitas and Gregore; Matheus Martins (Jeffinho), Savarino and Almada; Igor Jesus.