Flamengo and Botafogo meet this Wednesday night (9:30 p.m. Brasília time, 7:30 p.m. ET) in the seventh round of the Carioca Championship at Maracanã, with a full house expected (nearly 40,000 tickets were sold in advance).
Two points separate the rivals. Botafogo, with 11, is in second place. Flamengo, with nine and a game in hand, is in sixth.
Still unbeaten in 2024, Flamengo has a chance in Wednesday’s derby to ease its fans’ doubts after last Sunday’s 0-0 draw with Vasco.
Botafogo (“Fogão”), if it wins, will pull level on points with leader Fluminense and has a chance to regain the confidence it lost in 2023 after “losing” the Brazilian title; the club had both hands on the trophy and let it slip away.
Flamengo: probable lineup: Rossi, Varela, Fabrício Bruno, Léo Pereira and Ayrton Lucas; Erick Pulgar, Gerson, De la Cruz and Arrascaeta; Everton Cebolinha and Pedro.
Botafogo: probable lineup: Gatito Fernández, Mateo Ponte, Halter, Barboza, Hugo; Danilo, Marlon Freitas and Tchê Tchê; Luiz Henrique, Júnior Santos and Tiquinho Soares.
Across the country, soccer fans are placing their bets at sportsbooks, which are paying (decimal odds):
Flamengo: 1.60
Draw: 3.95
Botafogo: 5.70
