Football Season Guide

In the 2016 season Botafogo returned to the Brazilian Serie A from the Serie B and their main goal was to avoid relegation. They overachieved by some distance and finished in fifth place in the division, even with a thin squad and off-the-field financial issues. That earned them a place in the Copa Libertadores and that will make this a marathon season for coach Jair Ventura's team, with so many fixtures ahead of them. Because of their continental commitments, they essentially gave up on the Rio State Championship, so there was little to learn from those performances. In the Copa Libertadores, though, they have impressed, winning five of their eight matches so far. The fact that they qualified for the continent’s premier tournament helped them to convince most of their star talent to stay and any players they did lose were well replaced. The addition of talents such as Wálter Montillo means their squad looks even stronger than it was last year. Nevertheless, it will be tricky to replicate their 2016 success as most opposition teams will now have sussed out how best to conquer the slightly unique 4-3-1-2 formation they employed. Add to that the tougher schedule that they have and the fact that off-the-field issues are always just around the corner and it is hard to see Botafogo enjoying quite as good a season as their last one.