Since taking over from Renato Paiva on the Botafogo bench at the end of the Club World Cup, Davide Ancelotti, son of a famous father, has racked up two wins and a draw in the Brazilian league, remaining unbeaten and, above all, without conceding a single goal. The former assistant to his father Carlo could not have dreamed of a better start in his first experience as head coach after working alongside his father – now in charge of the Brazilian national team – for the last ten years.
The goal of Fogao, which last year won both the Brazilian championship and the Copa Libertadores for the first time, is to climb back up the table after a difficult start. Today, the Bianconeri are fifth, nine points behind the leaders (who have played two more games, however).
The impact of the new coach has been positive. And it was not a foregone conclusion that they would get off on the right foot at a time when Botafogo is undergoing a mini-revolution. The Rio de Janeiro club has just sold some of its big names, such as Igor Jesus, Thiago Almada, and Jair Cunha. Others already have their bags packed, such as Danilo Barbosa, whose future lies in Saudi Arabia.
Ancelotti is trying to plug the gaps by drawing on a youth academy rich in young talent, but in the home match against Corinthians, he will rely on the experience of Arthur Cabral in attack. The striker, who moved to Serie A from Fiorentina a few weeks ago, has returned to Brazil after a disappointing spell at Benfica. A week ago, against Sport Recife, he played the full 90 minutes and put in a good performance, although he failed to find the back of the net. Against Corinthians, he could score his second goal for Botafogo, after the one he scored against Vasco da Gama on July 12.
Vitor Roque could also punish Gremio
Palmeiras has also made a great start after the Club World Cup. A draw and two wins in a row for Verdao. With two games in hand compared to Cruzeiro, they need to make up five points on the leaders. In the midweek round, Abel Ferreira’s team won at Fluminense thanks to a goal from striker Vitor Roque in the second half (1-2).
The former Barcelona and Betis player is likely to be a thorn in the side of Gremio’s defense, a team hovering just above the relegation zone and winless in their last four games.
Similarly, Bragantino will do everything possible to take advantage of Fortaleza’s difficult moment, which has failed to turn things around even after a change of coach. The Red and Whites have not won in three games and have lost their last two, but against Tricolor they have a chance to change gear. As for possible scorers, keep an eye on starting striker Eduardo Sasha, the team’s second-leading scorer with three goals.