Botafogo vs Vasco da Gama Prediction: Someone will miss the Clássico

This Rio de Janeiro derby is known as the Clássico da Amizade (friendship) because the two teams' fans have always gotten along well, with great sportsmanship, unlike other rival teams in Brazil. In 315 games Vasco da Gama won 133, Botafogo won 87 and there were 95 draws. Botafogo is the league leader and Vasco is on the opposite side of the table, occupying 18th place. There is a big news for this game. Botafogo has announced that Luís Castro is no longer the team's coach. The Portuguese coach is expected to join Cristiano Ronaldo at Al-Nassr, in Saudi Arabia. It’s a big disappointment for Botafogo, which was in wonderland, with a great union between fans, players, and coach. Let's see how the team reacts to this hard blow.

The Glorioso won the last round against Palmeiras, in São Paulo, escaping from the direct competitors and increasing the distance to the second-ranked team, Grêmio, to seven points. In the middle of the week, Botafogo drew at home against Magallanes for the Copa Sudamericana. It was coach Luís Castro's last game and the team seemed affected by the situation. This departure caused great anger among the fans who insulted the coach. Luís Castro's successor may also be Portuguese and will have the difficult mission of leading Botafogo to the champion title that has eluded them for 28 years. In this edition of the Brasileirão, Fogão has won all their home matches.

Lucas Perri; Rafael, Adryelson, Cuesta, Hugo; Tchê Tchê, Marlon Freitas; Júnior Santos, Eduardo, Victor Sá; Tiquinho Soares

The Cruzmaltino in the last round ended a negative cycle of ten games without winning. The victory over Cuiabá, their bottom-table rival, brought some peace to a team that was and still is going through difficult moments. Vasco da Gama now faces a Carioca rival, the championship leader, and a team that has won all its home games. The task is difficult but the pressure is on Botafogo's side. Vasco da Gama despite a bad championship, managed to steal points from superior teams. At home they drew with champion Palmeiras; away they drew against Fluminense and beat Atlético Mineiro. The team seems to enjoy playing with underdog status.

Léo Jardim; Puma Rodríguez, Robson, Léo and Lucas Piton; Jair; Marlon Gomes and Alex Teixeira; Figueiredo, Orellano, Rayan

Botafogo is in first place and is very strong at home. If the players react well to the departure of their leader they will win the derby.