Cienciano and
Botafogo meet on Thursday, August 13, at 9:30 p.m. Brasilia time at Estadio Inca Garcilaso de la Vega in Cusco, in the first leg of their Copa Sudamericana round-of-16 tie. In Brazil, the match will stream exclusively on Paramount+.
Botafogo advanced directly to the round of 16 after winning Group E with the best record in the group stage.
Cienciano came through the playoffs, overturning a 2–0 defeat to
Lanús with a 4–0 victory in Cusco. The altitude of roughly 3,400 metres is not just a line from a travel brochure.
Where to watch Cienciano vs Botafogo
- Streaming: Paramount+
- Date: Thursday, August 13, 2026
- Kickoff: 9:30 p.m. Brasilia time
- Venue: Estadio Inca Garcilaso de la Vega, Cusco, Peru
- Competition: Copa Sudamericana, round-of-16 first leg
The second leg is scheduled for Thursday, August 20, also at 9:30 p.m., at Nilton Santos Stadium. The winners will face
Tigre or
Montevideo City Torque in the quarterfinals.
Botafogo probable lineup
With no settled match-eve projection available when this article was published, the safest reference is the core of the side that drew with
Fluminense, with possible changes in attack.
Botafogo could start with:
Warleson;
Vitinho,
Nahuel Ferraresi,
Gabriel Justino and
Alex Telles;
Huguinho,
Cristian Medina,
Danilo and
Álvaro Montoro;
Lucas Villalba (
Matheus Martins) and
Kauan Toledo (
Arthur Cabral).
Franclim Carvalho has options to give the team more attacking weight, but his decision will depend on how he plans to cope with the altitude without conceding control of midfield.
Cienciano probable lineup
The team that swept
Lanús aside 4–0 provides the main reference for
Cienciano. Their probable lineup is:
Ítalo Espinoza;
Maximiliano Amondarain,
Orlando Núñez,
Kevin Becerra and
Marcos Martinich;
Gerson Barreto,
Santiago Arias and
Ademar Robles;
Cristian Souza,
Carlos Garcés and
Alejandro Hohberg.
Carlos Garcés and
Alejandro Hohberg scored twice each in the comeback against
Lanús and account for much of the attacking threat carried by
Horacio Melgarejo’s side.
Who is out
For
Botafogo,
Jordan Barrera is unavailable after sustaining an injury in the draw with
Fluminense.
Paulinho is also 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
Botafogo need to get through the first leg without turning the altitude into a ready-made excuse or an invitation to sit back for 90 minutes.
Cienciano showed against
Lanús that they grow stronger in Cusco, apply pressure down the flanks and punish teams that take too long to settle into the match. Managing the pace will be necessary. Giving up on playing will not.
