Botafogo will make their first appearance in the round of 16 of the Copa do Brasil since 2017 when they travel to Estadio Raimundo Sampaio in Belo Horizonte to face America Mineiro in the opening leg on Thursday.
America knocked out Centro Sportivo Alagoano 5-0 on aggregate in the third round, while Fogo advanced by winning their two-leg affair versus Ceilandia by a combined score of 6-0.
Match preview
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A shock defeat on penalties to third-tier side Cricuma in the third-round last year did not sit well at Mineiro, who have tried to use that disappointment as a rallying cry this year.
Vagner Mancini saw his players look very determined to right the wrongs from the 2021 competition, and they got a pair of impressive second-half performances in their previous tie, scoring three times in the final 30 plus minutes in Maceio, winning the opening leg 3-0.
An early and late tally at home secured their spot in the last 16 for the first time since 2020, when they made it all the way to the semi-finals.
Coelho have conceded a goal or fewer in three of their last four road fixtures, though they have not produced as much quality in the attacking third, failing to score in their previous two encounters at Minas Gerais.
Their traditional 4-1-4-1 formation has given them plenty of goalscoring opportunities through their pressing, though their lone striker up top has rarely found enough space to get in behind opposing defences, with Mineiro now goalless in four consecutive domestic encounters.
They can usually rely on a solid, well-organised pressing game, which does not leave a lot of room for their opponents to counter against them in transition. However, they did concede seven shots on target to Flamengo over the weekend in a 3-0 defeat, moving into the relegation zone as a result.
Allowing the opening goal has proven to be like a dagger to the hearts of America, who have not responded well when trailing, being shut out in nine of their last 10 matches in which they have conceded first.
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Despite a difficult month of June, winning two of six domestic fixtures, Botafogo have a little breathing room in the Brasileiro Serie A table, currently sitting 10th, three points clear of relegation.
After some resolute defending between late March and the end of May, where they conceded a goal or fewer in six consecutive road fixtures, their shape has not been as solid away from home lately, conceding six times in their last two games.
Even though it has been five years since this club reached the knockout stage of the Copa do Brasil, they did put together an impressive run in their previous appearance in the knockout stage.
Botafogo made it to the Semi-Finals in 2017, suffering only one defeat in their first four matches of the second phase before eventually being eliminated by Flamengo.
A Estrela Solitaria have never faced America in this competition, nor have they beaten them on their home field domestically despite many close games.
They have conceded a single goal in three of their previous four encounters against them, with their best result coming in May of this year in a 1-1 draw.
Luis Castro will fancy his team's chances of advancing into the last eight if Fogo can perform similarly to what we saw in the third round, as they conceded fewer than 40% possession in each of those encounters and were rarely threatened with dangerous opportunities to contend with in their own penalty area.
Since a 4-0 defeat against the league leaders Palmeiras, they have managed to keep their matches close, with their last four being decided by a single goal.
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Team News
Five players found the back of the net for America in their first two matches of this competition, as Eder, Matheusinho and Pedrinho all scored in the opening fixture, with Indio Ramirez and Rodriguinho tallying in the return leg.
Iago Maidana leads them domestically, netting three times, Felipe Azevedo and Aloisio are next with two each, while Everaldo is first in assists for them with two so far in league play.
Maidana is one of three players expected to miss this match on Thursday as he has a broken foot, while Jailson and Orlando Berrio could be back early next month as they are recovering from thigh and knee injuries, respectively.
A brace from Kanu in the opening leg helped Botafogo get off to an early lead in their third-round tie, with Lucas Piazon scoring an insurance tally, while Matheus Nascimento notched a pair of goals in leg two with Patrick de Paula scoring the opener in that fixture.
Erison is tied for third in goals in Serie A, tallying six times so far this year, while Douglas Borges collected two clean sheets in their only two Copa do Brasil encounters so far in 2022.
Victor Sa is going through some physical discomfort, which could leave him sidelined for a couple of weeks, Diego Goncalves has a sore thigh and Gustavo Sauer will be questionable because of an ankle injury.
America Mineiro possible starting lineup:
Cavichioli; Marlon, Luan Patrick, Eder, Patric; Ze Ricardo; Azevedo, Ale, Juninho, Ramirez; Aloisio
Botafogo possible starting lineup:
Fernandez; Kanu, Carli, Cuesta; Daniel Borges, Tche Tche, Del Piage, Hugo; Lopes, Nascimento, Erison
We say: America Mineiro 1-0 Botafogo
The home side have come away with either a win or a draw in all eight fixtures between these two teams domestically, and we expect that trend to continue on Thursday.
Do not let their goals in the third round fool you, as neither side have shown that same quality against most of the teams in the top flight, but home field should give America a slight edge, though we do not anticipate there will be a lot of scoring opportunities on either end.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
Top tip
Joel Lefevre
