Botafogo RJ – Internacional SOCCER PICKS
Botafogo and Internacional meet at Estádio Nilton Santos, in a match for the 35 th round of Serie A. The Internacional won at home by (3-0) the last time they met in this edition of the league, on 29-07 -2018. Unlike what would be expected, the record of recent direct confrontations is favorable to Botafogo, who in the last 3 matches won 2 and lost 1. Particular attention is required for the home / away condition, since both teams present significantly different results at home and outside.
Botafogo:
The home team is currently in the 11 th position of the league, with 44 points won, after 11 wins, 11 draws and 12 losses. In the penultimate match, they won in a home match against Flamengo, by (2-1). In the last match, they won in an away match against Chapecoense, by (0-1). This is a team that usually makes good use of the home advantage, stronger with the help of its supporters, since in the last 30 matches they register 3 wins, 3 draws and 9 losses in away matches; against 8 wins, 5 draws and 2 losses at their stadium. In the last 10 home league matches Botafogo has won 4, tied 4 and lost 2, for which they have won 16 points out of 30 possible. In their home league matches the most frequent result at half-time was the 0-0 (7 out of 17 matches). Their attack has scored regularly, since they have scored goals in 8 of the last 10 matches for this competition. In 34 matches in this competition, they only got 1 comeback in the 14 matches in which they suffered the first goal. There are 2 periods that stand out in the last 17 home matches for this competition: they scored 7 of their 19 goals between minutes (16′-30 ‘); He suffered 5 of his 13 goals between the minutes (31’-45 ‘).
The Botafogo rose a lot of performance in the last rounds, comes from 3 consecutive victories and has escaped any chance of relegation, now looking for qualification for the next Copa Sudamericana. The team has a medium attack, which scored 34 goals and is the tenth worst among the 20 participants of Serie A, but the big problem is the defense, which suffered 43 goals, being the sixth weakest, although it has improved in this sector the last rounds, and suffered only 3 goals in the last 4 games. In its stadium, the Botafogo has a quite irregular campaign, but it comes from 2 good victories, including one on the very strong team of Flamengo. It should be noted that 11 of the last 14 games in their stadium had, at most, 2 goals in the final score. For the confrontation with the International, the coach Zé Ricardo has no problems in the team considered titular and must repeat the alignment of the last game, in which he conquered an optimal victory over the Chapecoense away from home.
International:
The away team is currently in the 2 nd position, with 65 points won, after 18 wins, 11 draws and 5 losses. In the penultimate match, they tied in an away match against Ceará, by (1-1). In the last match, they won in a home match against América Mineiro, by (2-0). This is a team that usually makes good use of the home advantage, stronger with the help of its supporters, since in the last 30 matches they register 5 wins, 7 draws and 3 losses in away matches; against 12 wins and 3 draws in his stadium. In the last 10 away matches for the championship, Internacional has 3 wins, 4 draws and 3 losses, so they have won 13 points out of 30 possible. In their home league matches the most frequent result at half-time was the 0-0 (7 out of 17 matches). The team allowed goals to the opponent in 9 of the last 10 matches, so he has not presented great defensive solidity, but his attack has scored regularly, as he has always scored at least one goal in the last 10 matches for this competition. In 34 matches for this competition, they have conceded the first goal 7 times, but have won 4 of all. In the last 17 home matches for this competition there is 1 period that stands out: they have conceded 6 of their 17 goals between minutes (31′- Four. Five’).
The International comes from a great victory, with which he extended his undefeated series for 5 matches and goes in search of another 3 points to keep dreaming of the title, since he is 5 points behind the leader Palmeiras, with 12 remaining. The visiting team has a good quality attack, which scored 47 goals and is the fourth best of the competition, but its great triumph is the defensive solidity, as it suffered only 25 goals and is the second strongest defense. These numbers demonstrate the balance between the 2 sectors, explaining the great campaign here. As a visitor, the International has not performed well, comes from 4 draws and 2 losses and it should be noted that 6 of their last 9 games as visitors had a maximum of 2 goals in the final score. For the game against Botafogo, coach Odair Hellmann can not count on right-back Fabiano, on account of a suspension due to the accumulation of yellow cards.
