Fortaleza vs Botafogo prediction 23.11.2023

• Competition: Serie A
• Date: Thursday, 23rd November 2023
• Kickoff: 22:00 UTC / 23:00 CET
• Venue: Castelão (Fortaleza)

Fortaleza and Botafogo, two teams with the current worst form in Brazilian Serie A, will face off on Thursday evening in the Castelão Stadium in Fortaleza.

Fortaleza had two solid seasons, finishing 4th and 8th and securing Copa Libertadores and Sudamericana appearances. However, this season isn't going according to plan, at least in the domestic league, where they are 12th with 43 points, only five away from the relegation zone, but with one game fewer than most of the league. But in the Copa Sudamericana, they did great, reaching the finals, but eventually losing it to LDU Quito after a penalty shootout. 

Botafogo returned to Serie A last season and finished 11th, only a few points away from the spots for Copa Libertadores. But this season, they had an incredible start, and it looked like they would run away with the title, possibly a few rounds before the end of the season. But, after winning only one point in the last five matches, they really complicated their lives and dropped to second place for the first time since the beginning of the season. Still, with a potential win over Fortaleza, they would regain that first spot since they have one game fewer than the 1st-placed Palmeiras and are two points behind.

Fortaleza vs Botafogo pick: Botafogo to win or draw

Fortaleza are on a terrible eight-game winless streak. Their offense really struggled in those games, scoring only five goals - 0.62 per game. But they generally had problems on the offensive end throughout the season, as they scored only 36 goals in 33 rounds. 

Botafogo are also in terrible form and haven't won in the last six games. Still, we must acknowledge they played OK and were unlucky in some games, missing penalties and considering late goals. The popular Fogo tried to change the poor momentum by appointing a new coach just a few days ago. Statistically, that move has an excellent impact on teams, and the teams commonly perform better, at least in the short term. 

In the previous season, Botafogo won 3:1 on the road. Additionally, Fortaleza won just once in the last four meetings. Even though both teams are in terrible form, we think Botafogo are simply a better team, and considering everything above, we believe they should secure at least one point under the new coach.