Will it be the tough round of 16 we expect?

With an all-Brazilian round of 16 at the 2025 FIFA Club World Cup, at least one team from the Sugar Loaf Mountain will advance to the quarterfinals, where they will face the winner of the match between Benfica Lisbon and Chelsea FC. The top bookmakers are favoring Palmeiras to advance against Botafogo, even though Palmeiras is currently waiting for another win against Botafogo after five meetings (two draws, three losses).

When predicting Palmeiras vs. Botafogo, it must be taken into account that the last meeting between the two teams in the Série A was a tough one. In the end, the score in Sao Paulo was 0-0 – a result that is anything but unrealistic now. While Botafogo has conceded only five goals in its last eight competitive games and even shut out the powerful PSG offense (1-0), Palmeiras has not only kept a clean sheet twice in the preliminary round of the Club World Cup, but also in nine of its last 13 competitive games overall.

On paper, therefore, this looks set to be a tough round of 16 tie, in which it would be no surprise if, after 90 minutes of play in the high temperatures of the United States, the score was still 0-0. Accordingly, it makes perfect sense to avoid all the complications of the three-way system and bet on a low-scoring match.

Palmeiras – Statistics & current form

Sociedade Esportiva Palmeiras was founded in 1914 and is based in Sao Paulo. The Brazilian record champions (most recently in 2023) have also won the Copa Libertadores three times and qualified for the FIFA Club World Cup for the third time as 2021 title holders. Here, the Alviverde (meaning “white and green”) won Group A with five out of a possible nine points ahead of hosts Inter Miami, advancing to the round of 16.

However, the result against FC Porto in the preliminary round, where they managed to secure a 0-0 draw, shows that they are certainly capable of competing with all the top European clubs. So if Palmeiras beat Botafogo, Abel Ferreira’s team would certainly not have to hide from Benfica or Chelsea.

Palmeiras impresses above all defensively

The Alviverde’s biggest asset is their defensive stability, which was evident in the preliminary round against Porto (0-0) and Al Ahly (2-0). The Verdão have kept a clean sheet in nine of their last 13 competitive games across all competitions. This means they have conceded just eight goals in eleven games in the Brazilian Série A. They are just two points behind leaders Flamengo.

However, Abel Ferreira’s team’s recent record speaks against them. Palmeiras have won 23 of their 52 competitive games against Estrela Solitária (13 draws, 16 defeats). However, they are currently on a five-game winless streak (two draws, three defeats). In three of their last seven games against Botafogo, Alviverde failed to score a single goal. The task ahead of Verdão is therefore a challenging one.

Predicted Palmeiras line-up:
Weverton – Piquerez, Murilo, Gómez, Giay, Anderson – Moreno, Ríos – Maurício, Estêvao – Roque

Botafogo – Statistics & current form

Botafogo de Futebol e Regatas was founded in 1904 in the Botafogo district of Rio de Janeiro. The black and whites have just had an absolutely exceptional season. In 2024, they not only won their third Série A title – and their first championship in 29 years – but also their first ever overall victory in the Copa Libertadores.

In South America’s equivalent of the Champions League, Estrela Solitária (meaning “lonely star”) also eliminated today’s opponents Palmeiras in the round of 16 with a 4-3 aggregate score. In the new year, however, Foto is struggling to build on this groundbreaking season, which is why there were changes on the bench at the end of February after the Rio de Janeiro state championship ended in a completely disappointing ninth place.

Botafogo also defends passionately

Under Portuguese coach Renato Paiva, Estrela Solitária has also regained some of its form, but currently lies in eighth place in the Série A. Against this backdrop, the odds are stacked against the black and whites in the match between Palmeiras and Botafogo, with Bet365 offering odds of 3.50 for a Palmeiras win in regular time. New customers can claim up to €100 in betting credits with the Bet365 bonus.

The team’s potential was on display in their 1-0 victory in the preliminary round against Champions League winners Paris Saint-Germain, who fielded a full-strength side. Luis Enrique even said after the game that his team had never been defended so tenaciously in the Champions League. No wonder, as Botafogo has conceded only seven goals in eleven Série A games and also has its qualities in defense. This means that all the ingredients are finally in place for a low-scoring round of 16 match between two Brazilian defensive artists.

Predicted Botafogo line-up:

John – Telles, Barboza, Jair, Vitinho – Freitas, Gregore, Allan – Savarino, Jesus, Artur

Palmeiras – Botafogo Head-to-head record

Head to head: 23 – 13 – 16

A total of 52 competitive matches have been played between the two clubs, whose paths also crossed in the round of 16 of the Copa Libertadores in 2024. Botafogo ultimately prevailed with a total score of 4:3, although Palmeiras leads the head-to-head record with 23 wins. The most recent meeting between the two teams in the Série A, however, was a very tough affair. On March 30, 2025, the final score in Sao Paulo was 0:0.

Palmeiras – Botafogo Tip

Our prediction for Palmeiras against Botafogo is leaning slightly towards Alviverde. However, the São Paulo side have not won any of their last five competitive matches against Estrela Solitária (two draws, three defeats), which is why it is ultimately quite risky to bet on the winner of this all-Brazilian round of 16 match. In any case, it is clear that, given the two very stable defensive lines, the match has the potential to be decided by a single goal.

A tough match is very likely, which is why we consider it very reasonable to bet that at least one of the two halves will remain goalless. For there to be a maximum of one goal in either half, the odds for Palmeiras against Botafogo are 1.66, which we are betting on with four out of ten units via the handy NEO.bet app.

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