Fortaleza goes to João Pessoa to face Botafogo-PB this Thursday (7), in the fifth round of the group stage of the Copa do Nordeste. Tricolor do Pici is second in Group B, with seven points. Meanwhile, Belo is fourth in Group A, also with seven points. See below where to watch Fortaleza x Botafogo-PB live.
The team from Ceará is coming off a 3-0 victory over Fluminense-PI in the first phase of the Copa do Brasil. The match started on Sunday (3), but ended up being interrupted at half-time due to the storm that hit Teresina. The following day, the duel resumed with goals from Benjamin Kuscevic, Juan Martín Lucero and Kervin Andrade.
Against Botafogo-PB, Fortaleza should not have its fans at the stadium. The request was made by Belo himself, fearing a possible confrontation between fans of the two associations. The decision comes in the wake of the attack on the Fortaleza delegation bus carried out by Sport fans in the last round of Nordestão.
For the match, coach Juan Pablo Vojvoda will have the return of striker Thiago Galhardo, who was away with panic attacks. However, right-back Dudu, defender Titi, left-back Escobar and midfielder Calebe continue to recover physically.
On the Botafogo (PB) side, coach Moacir Júnior will have maximum strength for the confrontation. The match marks the debut of the new commander, who arrives to replace Cristian de Souza.
Alvinegro is having a good campaign in both the Copa do Nordeste and the Campeonato Paraibano. In the most recent round, Belo beat second-placed Serra Branca 1-0 away from home. Thus, Botafogo remains undefeated at the top of the state with 16 points in six games.
Where to watch Fortaleza x Botafogo (PB)
The match between Fortaleza and Botafogo (PB), at the Almeidão stadium, starts at 7pm, Brasília time, and is broadcast live on ESPN (closed TV), Star+ and DAZN (streaming) and Nosso Futebol (pay-per-view ).