Botafogo RJ

vs

CA Paranaense PR

Preview

Botafogo (home)

• Botafogo sit 11th in the Serie A 2026 table with 30 points from 22 games.
• Botafogo have lost their last two games.
• Botafogo suffered a 6-1 defeat in the Copa Sudamericana playoff at Cienciano.
• Botafogo followed that up with a 1-0 Serie A 2026 defeat at EC Vitória.
• Botafogo have won only one of their last five across all competitions, drawing two and losing two.

Athletico Paranaense (away)

• CA Paranaense PR (Furacão) are 3rd with 41 points from 23 matches.
• Furacão have won two, drawn two and lost one of their last five matches.
• Furacão edged past Santos 2-0 away before drawing 1-1 at home to Bragantino.
• Odair Hellmann's side are well organised and are built around a three-man build-up which can also be aggressive in pressing when out of possession.
• Furacão are compact and can crowd the ball when they are out of it, which could cause problems for Botafogo.

Head-to-Head

• Athletico beat Botafogo 4-1 when they last met in Serie A 2026 earlier this season.
• Furacão have the head-to-head advantage with three wins, one draw and one defeat in the last five.
• Botafogo have not won their last two home games against Athletico.

Key Players

• Kevin Viveros has been the spark for Athletico in the last five matches, scoring three of their five goals.
• Botafogo are a team that plays on a 4-3-3 or 4-2-3-1 base and like to control the ball through the thirds.

Betting Insights

• Botafogo are 2.3 favourites for this contest, with Athletico at 3.3 and the draw at 3.0.
• We will take the draw in the Double Chance market as we see this being a close game.
• Under 2.5 goals at 1.8 also appeals in a cagey affair.
• Both Teams to Score - No at 2.0 is a good play on the exact score market, although the visitors' ability to force turnovers and hit on the counter will decide the match.

Prediction

• Furacão can nick it if they hit at the right moments.
• We see a close, cagey game that could end with few goals.