John Textor's Botafogo threatened by a new disaster scenario

What if the disaster scenario repeated itself? For those who have forgotten, Botafogo experienced one of the worst comebacks in the league last year. Leader of the Brazilian Serie A from the 3rd day, O Glorioso finally ceded its throne to Palmeiras four days from the end after two consecutive draws. Well, guess what, the curse seems to be happening again. This year, Fogão did not outrageously dominate the ranking as in 2023, but he had been in the lead since the 25th day. And the day before yesterday, he signed his third consecutive draw against Vitoria (1-1). Result of the races: Palmeiras took the leading position three days from the end, thanks to a better goal difference (80 points each, +29 for Verdão, +26 for Botafogo).

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A new blow for John Textor's club which is preparing to experience the most important week of its season. In terms of statistics, Globoesporte reveals that Palmeiras have a 70% chance of being crowned Brazilian champions for the third time in a row, compared to 30% for Botafogo. This percentage could also soar since Palmeiras hosts Botafogo for what will be the shock of the 36th day and perhaps the turning point of the championship. In the event of a victory for Verdão, Botafogo would not fall behind insurmountably (3 points), but the schedule and the goal difference would be clearly unfavorable to the Textor club which will then face Internacional and São Paulo, two teams classified at the 5th and 6th place. For its part, Palmeiras will challenge less well-ranked teams (Cruzeiro, 7th) and Fluminense (16th).

Two finals in one week

Enough to annoy Textor who has often clashed with the president of the Paulista rival, Leila Pereira. It is therefore not difficult to imagine that the American would not like to lose the championship again in the conditions of 2023. Especially after having repeatedly accused Palmeiras of benefiting from arbitration favors. But in front of the media, Textor played it fair. “We would have liked to face Palmeiras as first. We have to play this match before the Copa Libertadores. But we are going there to win. Anyway, to win the championship, even if we were two points ahead at the end of the evening, or more, to win the championship you have to get ahead of Palmeiras. And we knew when we saw the schedule that we had to beat them at home to be champions. The result this evening (the day before yesterday) changes nothing. We must beat them. These are last year's champions. If it were easy, we wouldn't call it a championship. So we have to go to São Paulo and beat them at home. We like playing in their stadium, we feel good there. Unfortunately, in the last matches we failed to take three points. It's frustrating, there's a lot of ball possession, a lot of goals, a lot of quality. But we love playing in Palmeiras. »

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Finally, it should be remembered that in addition to having to manage its shock against Palmeiras on Wednesday, Botafogo must also prepare for the first Copa Libertadores final in its history against Atlético Mineiro, which will be played three days later. Two intense and decisive duels in a single week, the challenge is enormous for Fogão. In Brazil, the question clearly arises. After last year's bankruptcy, do Botafogo players have the mentality necessary to manage another potential comeback and a continental final? Will they once again fail in money time? After the draw against Vitoria, coach Arthur Jorge did not hide his disappointment, but refused to admit defeat. “Let's face it: in the last six matches, we have failed to win the last three, knowing that there are still three to go. This has an impact because not winning allows our opponents to close the gap. But this does not affect us and does not make us desperate on the ground. But the fact that, out of the last nine points, we only scored three has an impact. This is difficult to accept for those who fight for titles. We must realize that we can only count on ourselves. I wasn't happy, obviously. We will fight until the end for the title, that's the only certainty I have. We will go to São Paulo as if it were a final, like the others. There is no other way to see things: you have to turn the page. What bothers me is not winning. Every point in this final part of the championship is worth gold for everyone”. And for the moment, Botafogo has lost track of its gold vein.