Botafogo and
Cienciano meet on Thursday, August 20, at 9:30 p.m. Brasília time at Nilton Santos Stadium, in the second leg of their Copa Sudamericana round-of-16 tie. In Brazil, the match will stream exclusively on Paramount+.
After the
6-1 defeat in the first leg in Cusco,
Botafogo must win by five goals to force a penalty shootout. A victory by six or more sends the Brazilian side through. Any other result puts
Cienciano in the quarterfinals.
The comeback attempt begins with a change in the dugout. Under-20 coach
Rodrigo Bellão will take charge of
Botafogo on an interim basis following
Franclim Carvalho’s dismissal. The change came two days before the match, after the rout in Peru and a 1-0 Brazilian league defeat to
Vitória.
How to watch Botafogo vs Cienciano
- Streaming: Paramount+
- Date: Thursday, August 20, 2026
- Kickoff: 9:30 p.m. Brasília time
- Venue: Nilton Santos Stadium, Rio de Janeiro
- Competition: Copa Sudamericana, round-of-16 second leg
Botafogo probable lineup
With no settled match-eve projection following the coaching change, the safest reference is the core used in the latest match.
Rodrigo Bellão may make adjustments to add more attacking presence, but
Botafogo could start with:
Warleson (
Gabriel Batista);
Vitinho,
Nahuel Ferraresi,
Lucas Monzón (
Gabriel Justino) and
Alex Telles;
Huguinho,
Cristian Medina,
Danilo and
Álvaro Montoro;
Matheus Martins and
Arthur Cabral.
Júnior Santos,
Kadir,
Lucas Villalba and
Kauan Toledo are alternatives for a side that must attack from the start without repeating the chaos that opened the floodgates in Cusco.
Cienciano probable lineup
Holding an enormous advantage,
Cienciano could retain the core that scored six goals in the first leg. The probable lineup is:
Ítalo Espinoza;
Carlos Cabello,
Kevin Becerra,
Maximiliano Amondarain and
Marcos Martinich;
Gerson Barreto;
Cristian Souza,
Alejandro Hohberg and
Juan Romagnoli;
Neri Bandiera and
Matías Succar.
Matías Succar scored a hat-trick in the first leg,
Neri Bandiera added two goals and
Marcos Martinich completed the rout.
Botafogo already know the scale of the threat and have no right to act surprised again.
Who is unavailable
For
Botafogo,
Paulinho is ineligible because he was left off the club’s squad list for the Copa Sudamericana round of 16.
No other confirmed absence that should be treated as a player ruled out for the match was identified in the sources consulted before publication.
What to watch before kickoff
Miracle talk belongs in the stands. On the pitch, the equation is less romantic:
Botafogo must score early, press without losing their shape and prevent the need to attack from turning every
Cienciano counter into another humiliation.
Overturning a five-goal deficit would be a continental feat. Before dreaming about six, however, the team must start looking like a football side again. After what happened in Cusco, that alone would be a start.
