Preview: Botafogo vs Racing Club - prediction, team news, lineups

Botafogo could all but secure qualification to the Copa Sudamericana knockout stages when they play host to Racing Club at the Nilton Santos Stadium on Thursday morning. 

A win in front of their home supporters will see the Glorioso open up a six-point advantage over the Argentines in third place heading into the final two rounds of matches.

Match preview

Botafogo return to action on the continental scene fresh off the back of a disappointing result in front of their home supporters at the weekend, when they fell to a 2-1 defeat against Clube do Remo in the Brasileirao Serie A. 

Nahuel Ferraresi opened the scoring in the 13th minute to hand the hosts a dream start to the tie and put them in front going into half time, but Alef Manga and Jaja hit back for Remo after the break to turn the game on its head. 

That result saw Botafogo drop into 10th place in the league table and marked a first defeat under head coach Franclim Carvalho, who had picked up four wins and three draws from his first seven matches at the helm of affairs.

In the Sudamericana, the Brazilian outfit had enjoyed an unbeaten start to the campaign, with two wins from their last two games pushing them to the top of the Group E standings with seven points from a possible nine. 

Having kicked off the campaign with a 1-1 draw against Caracas, Botafogo secured a 3-2 victory over Racing Club on April 15, two weeks before edging out Independiente Petrolero 3-0 on home turf to move two points above Caracas in the runners-up spot. 

Opening the run matches before the World Cup, this will be the Glorioso's penultimate home game before the international tournament, with Carvalho's men set to face Corinthians in the Serie A on May 17, with six matches on the road lined up across the league, Sudamericana, and Copa do Brasil.

Racing’s qualification for the round of 16 of the Argentine Primera Division has highlighted the club’s struggles so far, with their spot in the last-16 coming only thanks to slip-ups from Barracas Central, Tigre, and Sarmiento in the final round of the first phase.

With Barracas and Sarmiento suffering defeats, and Tigre playing out a stalemate with Rosario Central, a goalless draw with Huracan at the El Cilindro saw Gustavo Costas’s men finish 16th with 21 points from 16 games, only above Instituto De Cordoba and Barracas on goal difference. 

While the next challenge in the domestic knockout stage will be against the reigning champions Estudiantes, for Racing Club will look to snap a six-game winless run in all competitions and stay in contention for a spot in the Sudamericana knockout phase. 

Champions of the continental showpiece in 2024, when they defeated Cruzeiro in the final, the Academia will draw inspiration from their solid record against Brazilian clubs, having picked up eight wins and two draws in 14 matches against Brasileirao sides.

Botafogo Copa Sudamericana form:

Botafogo form (all competitions):

Racing Club Copa Sudamericana form:

Racing Club form (all competitions):

Team News

© Iconsport / SUSA

Botafogo suffered a fresh injury blow against Remo at the weekend, with Allan coming off with a thigh problem, and the veteran midfielder is expected to sit out Thursday’s continental clash. 

Alexander Barboza, who was dropped in the aforementioned game amid ongoing transfer negotiations with Palmeiras, is also a doubt, but Franclim could opt to include the defender on Thursday. 

Kaio Pantaleao and 21-year-old forward Nathan Fernandes are both recuperating from knee and thigh injuries respectively and will also play no part for Botafogo. 

As for Racing, the latest concern is right-back Ezequiel Cannavo, who was forced off midway through the game against Huracan last time out through a muscle injury. 

His immediate backup, Gaston Martirena, is also an injury doubt but could make his return at the Estadio Nilton Santos, while Elias Torres (cruciate ligament) and Valentin Carboni (ligament) are confirmed absentees due to injuries.

Botafogo possible starting lineup:

Raul; Vitinho, Bastos, Barboza, Telles; Allan, Danilo; Santos, Edenilson, Martins; Cabral.

Racing Club possible starting lineup:

Cambeses; Martirena, Colombo, Rojo, Rojas; Zuculini, Forneris Rodriguez; Solari, Zaracho, Martinez

We say: Botafogo 1-1 Racing Club

Botafogo will be backing themselves to get the result on Thursday as they take on a Racing side, who have struggled to get going this season and are without a win in their last six matches.

However, the Glorioso have been vulnerable at the back, with both teams scoring in eight of their last ten matches, and we predict Racing will push for a result and force a share of the spoils.

For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.