Botafogo players during a training session yesterday.
Doha, Qatar: Brazil’s Botafogo clinched the Campeonato Brasileiro title on Sunday, celebrating their first league triumph in 29 years with fans before embarking on a long journey to Doha. The Copa Libertadores winners had just one day to adjust to the time zone and conditions, but coach Artur Jorge remains optimistic that fatigue will have minimal impact on his team’s resolve.
Speaking after his team’s only training session at Stadium 974 ahead of today’s Derby of the Americas clash – equivalent to a quarter-final tie – against Mexico’s Pachuca, Jorge said his team is focused on adding more titles, having already secured two trophies in a short span.
The high-stakes match offers a prestigious trophy and a spot in the FIFA Challenger Cup against Egypt’s Al Ahly on December 14, with a potential FIFA Intercontinental Cup showdown against the mighty Real Madrid on December 18.
Botafogo coach Artur Jorge
“The desire to win titles will overcome fatigue. We only had one day of work here and need to adapt to the schedule. But the team is determined,” Jorge told a pre-match press conference yesterday.
“Botafogo has its philosophy and its stance. Playing in this competition is a wonderful feeling, and now we have to give our all to make this game a historic moment,” he added.
Pachuca players take part in a training session on the eve of the match.
Unlike Botafogo, Pachuca arrived in Doha well in advance and held several training sessions in the buildup.
"We must overcome this first stage tomorrow, aware of the challenges, including limited time and a long journey. But we will not shy away from the responsibility. We as the Brazilian champions and Copa Libertadores champions have high hopes for this competition. That is our mentality," Jorge said.
Echoing his coach’s sentiments, defender Alex Telles, who featured in Brazil’s World Cup 2022 matches against Serbia and Cameroon, expressed his excitement about returning to Qatar.
“I played at Stadium 974 during the 2022 World Cup, and I’m very happy to be back in Qatar to play at this very special venue. Our match tomorrow against Pachuca will be difficult because they are a big and special team with great players,” he said.
Pachuca earned their place in the FIFA Intercontinental Cup after winning the Concacaf Champions Cup 2024 in June. However, Guillermo Almada’s side endured a roller-coaster season, securing only three victories, drawing four matches, and losing ten.
Pachuca coach Guillermo Almada
“We arrived with the best expectations, despite it not being the best moment,” Almada said.
“We had time to prepare, something we didn’t have after winning the title. From being champions of Mexico and Concacaf, we’ve come a long way to get here, and we want to play our best despite an unstable semester.”
“If we play better than our opponents, we will open up possibilities. It’s a very tough game, but we will try to get the result, even though we know it will be complicated and difficult,” he added.
The match will kick off at 8pm.
Predicted line-ups
Botafogo: John, Mateo Ponte, Adryelson, Alexander Barboza, Alex Telles, Gregore, Marlon Freitas, Luiz Henrique, Thiago Almada, Jefferson Savarino, Igor Jesus.
Pachuca: Carlos Moreno, Carlos Sanchez, Sergio Barreto, Gustavo Cabral, Bryan Gonzalez, Pedro Pedraza, Elias Montiel, Arturo Gonzalez, Oussama Idrissi, Nelson Deossa, Salomon Rondon.
