Botafogo hold a 12-point lead at the summit of the Brasileiro table as they prepare to face struggling Santos at Vila Belmiro on Sunday.
The runaway leaders have won 13 of their 15 matches this season, while Paulo Turra's side have lost four of their previous five league outings.
Match preview
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Santos head into Sunday's showdown on the back of a humiliating 4-1 thrashing at the hands of Sao Paulo, with Marcos Leonardo scoring a 93rd-minute consolation goal to salvage a slice of respect for his side.
Last weekend's defeat means that Santos have lost four of their previous five Brasileiro matches, conceding 15 goals across those contests while sliding to 14th in the table – four points outside the relegation zone.
On top of that, the Alvinegro have managed to win just one of their last nine league outings, recording three draws and five losses in the process, with a 4-3 victory over fellow strugglers Goias coming earlier this month.
It is worth pointing out, however, that Santos have enjoyed plenty of success at Vila Belmiro this season, winning three and drawing three of their eight home league games while frustrating the likes of Palmeiras and Internacional.
That said, Turra's men registered just four victories in 15 Serie A outings in 2023, while only three teams have conceded more goals than Santos' 23 this year, so they can have very few complaints about their current predicament.
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By contrast, Botafogo have enjoyed an outstanding campaign up to now, taking 39 points from a possible 45 to open up a seemingly unassailable lead over second-placed Flamengo, who trail the leaders by 12 points.
When manager Luis Castro left the club to join Cristiano Ronaldo's Al-Nassr earlier this month, there were fears that Botafogo's momentum could slide, but former Wolverhampton Wanderers boss Bruno Lage has picked up where Castro left off.
After overseeing a 2-0 victory against Gremio in his first match in charge, Lage guided the Lone Star to another 2-0 win over Bragantino last weekend, meaning that Botafogo have won each of their last six league games without conceding a single goal.
Not only have the Rio de Janeiro outfit won 13 of their 15 league matches this term, but they have also conceded a measly seven goals, keeping 10 clean sheets while enhancing their status as the strongest team in the country.
Following a 1-1 draw with Argentine side Patronato de Parana in the Copa Sudamericana in midweek, Botafogo enter Sunday's clash on a 10-game unbeaten streak across all competitions, having picked up seven wins and three draws since their last loss.
Team News
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Santos defender Felipe Jonatan featured in the opening Serie A match before sustaining a ruptured knee ligament, meaning that Dodo will continue at left-back for the hosts.
Elsewhere, Marcos Leonardo will lead the line in a 4-2-3-1 formation, with Stiven Mendoza, Lucas Lima and Lucas Braga expected to line up behind the lone striker.
As for Botafogo, former Manchester United defender Rafael remains sidelined with a knee injury, while midfielder Patrick de Paula is also on the treatment table.
Top scorer Tiquinho Soares has netted 10 goals in 14 league outings this season, while Carlos Eduardo has chipped in with four goals and three assists from midfield.
Santos possible starting lineup:
Paulo; Lucas, Henrique, Messias, Dodo; Sandry, Dodi; Braga, Lima, Mendoza; Leonardo
Botafogo possible starting lineup:
Perri; Di Placido, Adryelson, Cuesta, Marcal; Freitas, Neves; Henrique, Eduardo, Santos; Tiquinho
We say: Santos 0-2 Botafogo
When you couple Santos' poor recent form with Botafogo's remarkable record this season, all the signs point towards another clean-sheet victory for the runaway leaders.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
Top tip
Ben Morris
