The first leg of the Copa Libertadores playoff between São Paulo and Botafogo (0:0) was far from a showcase of the tournament's best. Both Brazilian top clubs opted to limit their opponent's chances, and they are likely to repeat the same strategy on Thursday night, although the Serie A leaders will have more opportunities to approach the opponent's goal.
In the most recent round of the championship, São Paulo scored only their second goal in a stretch of six games, which was not enough to overcome Internacional (1:3). In their away game against Botafogo, the team was on the defensive (9-32 in shots and 35-65% in possession). At home, São Paulo have had two consecutive setbacks, and in their last 10 games, the total over 2.5 has been reached only three times.
While competing in the Copa Libertadores, Botafogo also lead Serie A — on Sunday, they secured a last-minute victory over Fluminense (1:0). In the league, the team has claimed 25 points on the road (the best record) — they have kept clean sheets in their last two away games. Clearly, at São Paulo's field, Botafogo will avoid taking risks — they prefer to wait for their moment on the counter-attack.
The goalless draw last week was the seventh consecutive game in which São Paulo failed to defeat Botafogo. The consistent Serie A leaders will at least avoid defeat in regulation time.
