Botafogo vs Internacional Prediction: Will Botafogo be the same without its top scorer?

Tiquinho Soares' injury at the Mineirão set alarm bells ringing at Botafogo. The league's top scorer suffered a sprained knee and will not play again until September. The forward has scored 13 goals and made four assists so far, playing a direct role in more than 50% of Botafogo's goals in the Brasileirão. Tiquinho is the standout performer in this year's league, and it is unknown how the Série A leaders will play without their most influential player. Can Botafogo maintain the same level without Tiquinho?

This week, the Cariocas secured qualification for the quarter-finals of the Copa Sudamericana after a 0-0 draw away to Guaraní. It was Botafogo's second consecutive goalless draw after the away tie against Cruzeiro. Round 18, however, turned out to be positive as Flamengo, Palmeiras, and Grêmio lost, so the draw increased Botafogo's lead by another point. Bruno Lage's side didn't create a single clear goal-scoring opportunity and had a lot of trouble holding onto the game, with only 32% possession. The atmosphere at the Mineirão was extraordinary in supporting Cruzeiro, but that does not explain Botafogo's poor display, who has already beaten its main opponents away from home this year. The Lone Star team now returns home, where it has won nine of nine matches and will do everything it can to get a tenth.

in the last round, the Colorado miraculously drew at home against Corinthians. Luiz Adriano scored in the 99th minute of the game when Inter was down to ten men, and their fans were leaving the Beira-Rio. Internacional continues to have an underwhelming Brasileirão, where it has not won for five games. However, this week, qualification for the Copa Libertadores quarter-finals brought smiles back to the fans. A thrilling penalty shootout victory over River Plate sent the 50000 spectators at the Beira-Rio into madness.

Botafogo leads the Brasileirão and has to be considered the favorite. However, there are some doubts concerning the injury of top scorer Tiquinho Soares. Who will replace him? On the other side will be Internacional, boosted by the epic victory against River Plate. I will bet on a Double Chance favorable to Botafogo with few goals, preventing a weaker performance without Tiquinho.