Botafogo vs Peñarol Prediction: The Brazilians are looking to reach their first final

Botafogo and Peñarol will meet in Rio de Janeiro for the first leg of the Copa Libertadores semi-finals. Botafogo has never made it to the final, while Peñarol, with five wins, is the third club with the most trophies, behind Independiente and Boca Juniors.

The Lone Star team drew 1-1 at home to Criciúma in the last round and now has just one point over Palmeiras in the Brasileirão. The game was tricky for the Cariocas, who never imposed a strong rhythm, perhaps saving their effort for the semi-final against Peñarol. The final minutes were dramatic, bringing back bad memories of last season, when Botafogo often conceded late goals. The Cariocas only scored in the 91st minute through Tiquinho Soares, and everyone at the Maracanã could breathe a sigh of relief, but incredibly, Criciúma equalized three minutes later. Botafogo still made it 2-1, but the VAR detected a handball by Alexander Barboza, leaving the fans in disbelief. The result was poor, but the Copa Libertadores is a different competition, so Artur Jorge's men must focus on Peñarol and their target of reaching the final in Buenos Aires.

The Carboneros took the lead in Uruguay's Primera División by beating Boston River 2-0. Peñarol now has 20 points, the same as great rival Nacional but with a better goal average. Peñarol eliminated Flamengo in the Copa Libertadores quarter-finals with a 1-0 win at the Maracanã and a 0-0 draw at home. The Uruguayans will surely use the same defensive strategy to get a good result at the Nilton Santos. The Decano hasn't won a Copa Libertadores since 1987 and is close to doing it again, showing how big the club is.

Botafogo has better players than Peñarol, but that's not enough to reach the final. Peñarol knocked Flamengo out of the competition thanks to a strong collective. If the Uruguayans can stop Botafogo's attacking moves as they did against Flamengo, they could get a good result. Botafogo is the favorite, but I'm betting on a game with no more than two goals scored.