November 11 – On Saturday, Botafogo will host Vitória as the Brazilian league leaders seek to protect their two-point cushion over Palmeiras with four matchdays left.
Once again, Brazil’s Serie A will go down to the wire, and once again it is between Botafogo and Palmeiras. Last season, the club from Rio de Janeiro dominated the league before collapsing in the final stretch to surrender the title to the São Paulo giants. In a crunch match, they lost to Palmeiras 4-3 after leading 3-2 in the 89th minute.
It was the beginning of the end for Botafogo, and the club’s superstitious fanbase will be tested again on November 26 when their team travels to the Allianz Parque to take on Palmeiras in what could be the league decider.
The scenario is very similar: Botafogo are the league’s second top scorer and have the best defence. They’ve won more games than anyone else and have lost the fewest.
First, they take on Vitória this weekend in another must-win game. Earlier this week, Botafogo drew 0-0 against Atlético Mineiro, even though they had a man advantage for most of the game. Once home to all-time greats like Garrincha, Jairzinho, Didi, Nilton Santos, and Gerson, Botafogo last won the league title in 1995.
They have enjoyed a renaissance under owner John Textor, but across the ocean however, the American is making headlines for all the wrong reasons. The DNCG, the financial regulator of French football, has imposed a transfer ban on his club Olympique Lyonnais, who will be automatically demoted to Ligue 2 at the end of the season if the Textor doesn’t provide new funds.
Botafogo’s season does not hinge entirely on domestic success. On November 30, the Rio side will play the final of the Copa Libertadores for the first time, taking on Atlético Mineiro in Buenos Aires, Argentina. They are the only one of the four Rio clubs to never have won the continent’s biggest prize. The side has all to play for then, but as the club’s fans say: “Some things only happen to Botafogo.”
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