Brazilian side Botafogo welcome Chilean club Magallanes to Rio de Janeiro on Thursday in the final round of Copa Sudamericana group games.
Assured of a place in the knockout phase, Botafogo occupy top spot in Group A, while already-eliminated Magallanes find themselves rock bottom of the standings.
Match preview
Botafogo extended their unbeaten start to the 2023 Brasileiro campaign with a 1-0 victory over Palmeiras last weekend, meaning that Luis Castro's men have won 10 of their 12 league matches this season.
As a result, the Lone Star find themselves seven points clear at the summit of the Brazilian top flight, and they also boast the best defensive record in the division, having conceded a measly seven goals so far.
Botafogo also remain unbeaten in the Copa Sudamericana this year, having registered two wins and three draws, with a 4-0 home victory over Cesar Vallejo preceding a 3-2 triumph against the Peruvian outfit in Trujillo.
Better still, Botafogo have kept three clean sheets across their previous four Copa Sudamericana outings, with goalless draws against Ecuadorian side LDU Quito following the thrashing of Cesar Vallejo.
When you look at the bigger picture, Castro's men have won seven of their last nine matches in all competitions, suffering a solitary defeat in the process, so they will be confident of overcoming Magallanes.
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While Botafogo have avoided defeat in the Copa Sudamericana this season, Magallanes have failed to taste victory up to now, taking just three points from a possible 15 to remain at the foot of Group A.
After holding Botafogo to a 2-2 draw in their first game, Magallanes endured a 4-0 thrashing at the hands of LDU Quito before recording back-to-back draws, with a 3-2 defeat against Cesar Vallejo coming earlier this month.
It is also worth noting that Nicolas Nunez's side have conceded 12 goals across their five Sudamericana encounters this year, meaning that only five other teams in the competition have a worse defensive record.
Magallanes won both the Copa Chile and second division title last season, booking their place in continental competition while returning to the top flight for the first time since 1986.
Still, there is no hiding the fact that Nunez's men have struggled to adapt to the step up, as they have failed to win any of their previous 15 games across all competitions, recording five draws and 10 losses along the way.
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Botafogo are still without long-term absentees Kayque and Breno, while Patrick de Paula, Danilo Barbosa and Matias Segovia will also miss Thursday's clash due to injury.
Having each scored two Copa Sudamericana goals this year, Tiquinho Soares, Victor Sa and Carlos Eduardo are expected to feature alongside Junior Santos in the hosts' attack.
As for Magallanes, Carlos Villanueva has chalked up one goal and two assists in the Sudamericana this season, while Yorman Zapata has chipped in with a goal and an assist.
Veteran striker Felipe Flores will lead the line for the visitors, while Uruguayan goalkeeper Gaston Rodriguez will likely start between the sticks on Thursday.
Botafogo possible starting lineup:
Perri; Rafael, Adryelson, Cuesta, Hugo; Tche Tche, Freitas; Santos, Eduardo, Sa; Tiquinho
Magallanes possible starting lineup:
Roriguez; Vasquez, Pinero, Berardo, Ramirez; Alfaro, Villanueva, Canales, Aranguiz, Zapata; Flores
We say: Botafogo 3-0 Magallanes
While unbeaten Botafogo have kept three clean sheets in their last four Copa Sudamericana matches, winless Magallanes have conceded at a rate of more than two goals per game this year.
With that in mind, we expect Botafogo to cap off their impressive group-stage campaign by notching a comfortable shutout victory over Magallanes.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
Top tip
Ben Morris
