FIFA Club World Cup
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Two Brazilian sides Palmeiras and Botafogo are facing off in the first match of the round of 16 at the Club World Cup.
A place in the quarter-final is the prize after both sides impressed during the group stage. Palmeiras topped their group ahead of Inter Miami, while Botafogo edged out Atletico Madrid to finish second behind PSG.
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Only three touches so far for Botafogo's Igor Jesus, who has been left on an island at the top of Renato Paiva's 4-3-3 formation. Surely have to start getting him more involved if Botafogo wants to ease the growing pressure on its backline.
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13' Palmeiras 0-0 Botafogo
The Palmeiras winger is having a great game so far on the left flank and looks a real danger every time he gets on the ball.
Botafogo have had their chances and have been building a bit of momentum on the ball but Estevao is an outlet every time for Palmeiras.
Interesting to see Estevao on the left side of Palmeiras’s attack in the early stages — so often a threat typically from the right. One to keep an eye on.
9' Palmeiras 0-0 Botafogo
What a chance that was!
A lovely cross in from Piquerez on the left for Palmeiras is a whisker away from being turned in by a mix of onrushing bodies from both teams in the box.
If anyone had so much as sneezed near that it would have gone in.
5' Palmeiras 0-0 Botafogo
But Rios drills it directly into the bottom of the wall. Palmeiras have a corner off the back of that but Botafogo deal with it well enough.
The fan atmosphere has been lively throughout the morning and into the early minutes of the first half. Palmeiras certainly has the edge in terms of the attendance.
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3' Palmeiras 0-0 Botafogo
Well, this is a tasty contest already.
That was a rash challenge from Botafogo's Barboza on Rios and he is given a yellow card for his troubles. That puts him in a tricky position for the rest of this match and he'll miss the quarter-final should they progress.
1' Palmeiras 0-0 Botafogo
Here we go then, Palmeiras get us underway. Let's hope for a thriller!
There is a potential rematch on the cards in the quarterfinal round, pending both Palmeiras and Chelsea advance out in Round of 16 play.
Chelsea defeated Palmeiras 2-1 in extra time at the 2022 FIFA Club World Cup Final thanks to Kai Havertz's 117th minute penalty kick winner.
Revenge would surely be on the minds of the Palmeiras players.
The last time two Brazilian teams met in the Club World Cup, it was… goalless.
Incidentally, it came in the final of the 2000 edition between Corinthians and Vasco da Gama, with Corinthians winning 4-3 on penalties. Hopefully we will see some goals in the game itself today.
Coincidentally, today's Botafogo-Palmeiras showdown isn't the only matchup between two representatives from the same country.
Palmeiras manager Abel Ferreira and Botafogo manager Renato Paiva are both from Portugal, managing in their home country at different times before earning their current opportunities in Brazil's top flight.
Ferreira has been in his role since 2020 while Paiva was hired as Botafogo boss last February.
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The group stage is behind us as we prepare to kick off the knock-out part of the Club World Cup. But what did we learn from the first round of the tournament?
From picking their best team in the group stage (plenty of votes for PSG), the best player (hello again, Jorginho) and the best stadium (argue amongst the South American contingent), they've discussed it all.
Catch up on the link below.
GO FURTHER
Club World Cup: What our reporters made of the group stage – and what could happen next
For the MLS fans tuning in to today's match, you'll recognize several familiar faces among the squads. Former Orlando City attacker Facundo Torres and former Houston Dynamo defender Micael are on the bench for Palmeiras while former Real Salt Lake winger Jefferson Savarino starts for Botafogo.
Torres tallied 39 MLS goals in 104 league appearances before making his reported $14 million transfer to Brazil. Savarino spent two different spells at Real Salt Lake, scoring 40 goals in 142 club appearances. Micael made 64 appearances over parts of three seasons for the Dynamo.
For any European fans wanting to get a calibration for the team strength of Botafogo and Palmeiras, Opta’s Power Rankings — a global ranking system containing more than 13,000 clubs rated between zero (lowest) and 100 (highest) — has Palmeiras as a similar level to Werder Bremen (not just because of the green kit) or Leeds United, while Botafogo rank similar to Borussia Monchengladbach or Swansea City.
From today this will be whittled down even further but as a reminder, these are the 16 teams to have made it to this stage of the competition:
It's been a long time since Palmeiras enjoyed a victory against Botafogo, 605 days to be exact. Palmeiras claimed a 4-3 triumph in Campeonato Brasileiro Série A play on November 1, 2023, getting a brace from now-Real Madrid starlet Endrick, as well as goals from current players Jose Lopez and Murilo Cerqueira to pick up three points. That result proved important as Palmeiras would eventually capture the league crown, finishing two points clear of second place Gremio.
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How will today's teams fare?
Well, it's not an exact art but each day at The Athletic we have compiled our power rankings of each team, taking a look at who’s hot, who’s not, and how the struggle for global club supremacy is shaking out.
Here's a look at how things are shaping up:
Manchester City — 1
Botafogo — 4
Palmeiras — 11
GO FURTHER
Club World Cup daily rankings: Manchester City seeks to tighten grip at top
Really enjoyed the sight of Palmeiras supporters taking over the Rocky Statue in Philadelphia yesterday.
Today marks one of the more intriguing showdowns of the Club World Cup Round of 16.
Botafogo are unbeaten in their last five head-to-head matchups with Palmeiras, which included a 0-0 draw in Campeonato Brasileiro Série A last March.
Renato Paiva's squad also eliminated Palmeiras 4-3 on aggregate in the Copa Libertadores Round of 16 last year, en route to winning the competition for the first time.