Botafogo's last result masked a stronger second half, and Tite has used the break to reshape the attack. Ziyech is expected to start, Montoro to move inside, and Matheus Martins to return alongside Arthur Cabral. That gives Botafogo a clearer route into the box against Vasco's compact defense. Those new connections, rather than the teams' recent scores, drive my call.
Mirassol scored twice before the interval in Tite's first match, when Botafogo's buildup was slow and the wide deliveries were easy to defend. Botafogo then made more progress after changing its attacking roles and finished with 11 shots from inside the box. The projected lineup puts those connections on the field from the start.
Vasco's five-goal win over Coritiba was backed by 23 shots inside the box, but Coritiba managed only four shots of its own. Pedro Emanuel has made Vasco harder to break down with a deeper line and aggressive ball recovery. In this derby, Andrés Gómez is suspended and Carlos Cuesta is being held out, while Botafogo's revised midfield has had a full training spell to find its rhythm.
