Botafogo SP v Ceara

Botafogo vs Ceara Preview

Two away wins on the trot have lifted Botafogo to safety in the Brazilian Serie B for the time being but nevertheless, the hosts now return to the more familiar surroundings of their Estádio Santa Cruz for this upcoming clash against Ceara in a more confident and positive frame of mind.

Back-to-back wins on the road at Amazonas and Brusque have lifted the hosts up into a more respectable looking 14th place in the Serie B table where they hold a useful four-point cushion over fourth from bottom outfit, Ponte Preta, ahead of this vitally important encounter against Ceara.

However, just three wins captured within their last 11 matches overall in the Brazilian second tier tells its own story and underlines Botafogo's struggles in recent times which includes picking up a 3-2 home win against Guarani but also includes slipping to five defeats as well within this period.

The straight win markets are therefore best avoided for this upcoming fixture but having lost just twice in their last nine home games, you would fancy Botafogo to at least hit the back of the net in this upcoming home game, especially as they drew 2-2 against Ceara in their previous meeting at the Estádio Santa Cruz back in November of last year.

Ceara picked up a fourth win in five games last time out in the Brazilian Serie B with a solid 2-0 home win against Avai which followed previous recent victories against Ponte Preta, Ituano and Paysandu.

Despite recent losses at the hands of Chapecoense, Coritiba, Sport Recife and Santos respectively, the former three all being away from home, Ceara have also picked up nine wins within their previous 14 matches in the domestic second tier which also gives the visitors a decent chance of getting something out of this upcoming clash at the Estádio Santa Cruz.

League wins on the road though have been hard to come by from Ceara's perspective as Léo Condé's side have managed to muster just three victories in their last 15 outings on the road, so again, the straight win markets should be avoided here.

However, the goals market appeals as 10 out of Ceara's aforementioned 15 away games in Serie B have also resulted in both teams hitting the back of the net as well, and this could lead to both teams scoring in this upcoming clash.

Botafogo v Ceara Verdict

Being just four points above the relegation zone with three league matches remaining means Botafogo are not yet out of the woods in terms of possible relegation while Ceara are currently just three points shy of possible promotion, so there's everything to play for in this upcoming tussle.

Both teams to score therefore looks a very reasonable prospect in this encounter.

Therefore, our main bet will be BTTS Yes @ 2.00

Other side bets worth considering:

Draw @ 2.90

Correct Score: 1-1 @ 6.00