Cruzeiro vs Botafogo preview

Brazil flag 2026 Serie A, Brazil
Estádio Governador Magalhães Pinto Today - 7:00 PM
Serie A
Cruzeiro CRZ
Botafogo BOT
KICKOFF : Today - 7:00 PM
Round 20 Regular Season

CONTEXT

Cruzeiro host Botafogo at the Estádio Governador Magalhães Pinto in this Serie A regular season fixture from the 2026 campaign. The home side currently sit eighth in the domestic standings while the visitors occupy ninth position. Power scores show the teams are closely matched with Cruzeiro on 68.48 and Botafogo on 67.54 giving the hosts a narrow 0.9 point advantage. Form scores reflect a similar pattern with Cruzeiro at 24.78 and Botafogo at 21.44. Both sides enter the match with comparable league positions and overall strength metrics suggesting a balanced encounter. The venue offers Cruzeiro a familiar setting to build on their current standing while Botafogo aim to close the small gap in the table.

TL;DR

  • Structural: Cruzeiro sit eighth in the Serie A table while Botafogo occupy ninth place.
  • Form: Cruzeiro hold a form score of 24.78 compared to Botafogo's 21.44.
  • Squad: Cruzeiro are the stronger side with a power score of 68.48 against 67.54.
  • Efficiency: Limited data available on team efficiency metrics for this fixture.
  • Transition: Both teams show balanced approaches in moving from defence to attack.
  • Set pieces: Set piece data remains limited with low confidence indicators for both sides.
  • xVariable: Cruzeiro hold a narrow power advantage of 0.9 points.
  • Market: Projection split: Cruzeiro 0% (Δ+0%) | Draw 0% (Δ+0%) | Botafogo 0% (Δ+0%).
No standings statistics available.
No head-to-head records found.
0.5+ goals: 85%
1.5+ goals: 70%
2.5+ goals: 50%
3.5+ goals: 25%
Confidence: High (≥8 matches)

Quality vs Volume

Home: xG 1.8, Shots 12, xG/Shot 0.15
Away: xG 1.5, Shots 14, xG/Shot 0.11

Open Play vs Set Play

Open Play: 65%
Set Play: 35%

Expected Points

TeamxPts
Home1.8
Away1.2
ℹ️ Methodology: Expected Goals (xG) measures shot quality
Jan 25 vs Team A
Feb 1 vs Team B
Feb 8 vs Team C
Cruzeiro Artur Jorge
Artur Jorge
VS
Botafogo F. da Silva Maia Carvalho
F. da Silva Maia Carvalho
1.42
Avg Points / Game (Last 100 Matches)
1.37
1.83 i
Last 6 Opponents
Internacional Rank: 63 W
Fluminense Rank: 68 D
Chapecoense Rank: 52 W
Palmeiras Rank: 77 D
Bahia Rank: 63 W
Atlético Mineiro Rank: 64 L
Avg Points / Game (Last 6 Matches)
1.5 i
Last 6 Opponents
Vitória Rank: 62 D
Santos Rank: 63 W
Bahia Rank: 63 L
São Paulo Rank: 62 D
Corinthians Rank: 67 W
Atlético Mineiro Rank: 64 D
3
Head to Head (Wins - Draws - Losses)
3 - 1 - 1
1
No sidelined player data available.

Win Probabilities

Live Win Probability (90 Min)
Home Cruzeiro
0%
Draw
0%
Away Botafogo
0%

Team Power Ranking

i
What is Power Ranking?
Power ranking is SportMonks' model-based team strength indicator. Historical input capped to 2 seasons.
68.48
67.54
0 (Weakest) 100 (Strongest)
Metric
Cruzeiro
Botafogo
Power Score
68.48
67.54
League Position
8
9
Global Rank
288
318

Form Analysis Opponent-Weighted

Line chart of recent results (points/trend). Friendlies excluded by default. Hover for opponent, result, xG/xGA and power ranking — based on last 6 matches.

–
vs
Cruzeiro — Opponent-weighted form score
Botafogo — Opponent-weighted form score
Win (3 pts) Draw (1 pt) Loss (0 pts) Cruzeiro Botafogo

Team Head to Head Last 6 Seasons

Summary of 5 matches between these sides — filtered by competition and venue context.

Cruzeiro CRZ Home
5 matches
Botafogo BOT Away
Match Record
3
Wins
1
1
Draws
1
1
Losses
3
Goals
10
Goals Scored
8
8
Goals Conceded
10
+2
Goal Difference
-2
Expected Goals
0
xG
0
0
xGA
0

Data last updated: 2026-07-26T00:09:40+00:00

STARTING XI - EXPECTED

Match Formation 4-2-3-1
Match Formation 4-2-3-1
Pitch
O. Rezende Costa
81 O. Rezende Costa
F. Conserva Lemos
23 F. Conserva Lemos
F. Soares de Faria
15 F. Soares de Faria
J. de Jesus Alves
34 J. de Jesus Alves
G. Rojas
27 G. Rojas
L. Silva Borges
16 L. Silva Borges
L. Romero
29 L. Romero
M. Oliveira Alencar
11 M. Oliveira Alencar
M. de Souza
7 M. de Souza
L. Sinisterra Lucumí
17 L. Sinisterra Lucumí
K. Pinto Ramos
19 K. Pinto Ramos
W. Stellion Lisboa Oliveira
17 W. Stellion Lisboa Oliveira
A. Telles
13 A. Telles
F. Marçal de Oliveira
21 F. Marçal de Oliveira
N. Ferraresi Hernández
5 N. Ferraresi Hernández
V. da Silva
2 V. da Silva
C. Medina
6 C. Medina
V. de Melo Moura
75 V. de Melo Moura
M. Martins Silva dos Santos
11 M. Martins Silva dos Santos
?. Montoro
10 ?. Montoro
L. Villalba Jaume
77 L. Villalba Jaume
A. Mendonça Cabral
19 A. Mendonça Cabral

General Information

Date & Time
Jul 26, 2026, 07:00 PM
Competition
2026 Serie A, Brazil · Round 20 · Regular Season
Stadium
Estádio Governador Magalhães Pinto
Capacity
62170
Pitch Surface
Grass
Weather
☀️ 12°C, Fair
Referees
Davi de Oliveira Lacerda
Douglas Pagung
Pedro Amorim de Freitas
Artur de Morais Fernandes

Expected Lineup

Referee : Davi de Oliveira Lacerda

Starting XI ▼

81
Otávio Costa
Otávio Costa Goalkeeper
6.56
19
Kaio Jorge
Kaio Jorge Centre Forward
6.95
7
Matheus Henrique
Matheus Henrique Attacking Midfield
6.63
23
Fagner
Fagner Right Back
6.73
27
Gabriel Rojas
Gabriel Rojas Left Back
6.56
34
Jonathan Jesus
Jonathan Jesus Left Back
7.1
11
Marquinhos
Marquinhos Right Wing
6.74
15
Fabrício Bruno
Fabrício Bruno Right Back
6.9
16
Lucas Silva
Lucas Silva Defensive Midfield
6.58
17
Luis Sinisterra
Luis Sinisterra Left Wing
6.73
29
Lucas Romero
Lucas Romero Defensive Midfield
6.95
Referee : Davi de Oliveira Lacerda

Starting XI ▼

17
Warleson
Warleson Goalkeeper
6.93
19
Arthur Cabral
Arthur Cabral Centre Forward
7.02
2
Vitinho
Vitinho Right Back
6.78
5
Nahuel Ferraresi
Nahuel Ferraresi Right Back
6.61
6
Cristian Medina
Cristian Medina Defensive Midfield
6.84
10
Álvaro Montoro
Álvaro Montoro Attacking Midfield
6.82
11
Matheus Martins
Matheus Martins Left Wing
6.85
21
Marçal
Marçal Left Back
6.84
75
Huguinho
Huguinho Defensive Midfield
6.95
77
Lucas Villalba
Lucas Villalba Right Wing
6.67
13
Alex Telles
Alex Telles Left Back
6.8

CONCLUSION

Cruzeiro and Botafogo meet in a tightly contested Serie A fixture where small margins could decide the outcome. The hosts benefit from a slight power edge and home venue familiarity while the visitors remain within touching distance in the standings. Form scores favor Cruzeiro modestly yet both teams display similar overall profiles. Limited set piece and efficiency data add uncertainty to detailed projections. This encounter should hinge on execution in open play and defensive organization. Cruzeiro will seek to leverage their narrow advantage to secure a positive result at home while Botafogo aim to maintain their competitive position in the league table.