Botafogo vs Defensa y Justicia

Botafogo will start their eighth Copa Sudamericana campaign (having reached the quarter-finals on two occasions) after their ninth place in the Brazilian league last year. They started 2019 in poor form, having not qualified for the final series in the Taca Guanabara (first stage of the Rio de Janeiro State Championship). Last Sunday, they beat Boavista 3-0 away, but it was their first victory in five matches (along with one draw and three losses) and they finished in the fifth spot out of five squads in Group B. At home, they collected a single point in three games.

Meanwhile, Defensa y Justicia is heading to their third consecutive participation in this competition (thanks to a ninth spot in the 2018/19 league season), having been knocked out in the quarter-finals by Junior from Colombia last year. The team are promising now as they are fighting for the title in the Superliga: El Halcon remains in the second spot on 39 points (three behind Racing Club), having won the last four games consecutively – including a 2-1 away success at San Martin Tucuman last Friday. Defensa y Justicia is on ten games unbeaten in all competitions (seven victories, three draws). Five of those took place on the road, with the side claiming three triumphs in that span.

I think Defensa y Justicia is clearly the better side here and should take advantage of Botafogo’s crisis to get a good result for the 2nd leg of this series.

BET: Defensa y Justicia +0.25 @ 1.86