Game Information

Saturday 30th March – Kick-off – 20:00 (GMT)

The last two champions of the Brasileirão go head-to-head on opening weekend in what promises to be an exciting clash. In their last meeting, Botafogo made a huge statement on their way to the 2024 title with a commanding 3-1 victory over Palmeiras on the road.

Palmeiras

After winning back-to-back league titles, Palmeiras fell short of a third consecutive championship in 2024, finishing second, six points behind champions Botafogo.

Their 2025 campaign hasn’t started as they would have liked, suffering a 1-0 aggregate defeat to Corinthians in the Paulista State Championship final on Thursday. This marked the first time since 2021 that they were not crowned champions of São Paulo

Abel Ferreira has been active in the transfer market, first spending €18 million to sign Paulinho from Atlético Mineiro before adding Facundo Torres, Emiliano Martínez, Micael, and Lucas Evangelista to the squad.

However, their marquee signing was Vitor Roque from Barcelona for €25 million, a statement of intent for the season ahead.

They did, however, lose a key asset, as centre-back Vitor Reis joined Manchester City in a €37 million move.

Botafogo

2024 was an unforgettable year for Botafogo fans, as the club lifted both the Copa Libertadores and the Brasileirão title. However, 2025 has been a challenging start for the reigning champions. Manager Artur Jorge departed for Al-Rayyan and was replaced by Renato Paiva, whose previous stint in Brazil was with Bahia.

Botafogo endured a disastrous Campeonato Carioca campaign, finishing ninth and missing out on the playoff spots. Their struggles didn’t end there—they suffered defeats in both the Supercopa do Brasil final against Flamengo and the Recopa Sudamericana final to Racing Club over two legs.

Now, with the league and Copa Libertadores set to begin, Botafogo will be eager to prove that their poor start to the year is just a blip—and that they can rediscover the form that made them champions.

Junior Santos, Tiquinho Soares, and Luiz Henrique have all left the club, while their standout star of 2024, Thiago Almada, has returned to his parent club Lyon after his loan spell

Jeffinho, Artur, David Ricardo, Leo Linck, Rwan Seco, Nathan Fernandes, Santiago Rodriguez, and Elias Manoel are new reinforcements for the club.

Expected Lineups

Palmeiras– Weverton, Mayke, Murilo, Micael, Piquerez, Richard Ríos, Emi Martínez, Maurício, Estêvão, Facundo Torres and Vitor Roque.

Botafogo – Vitinho, Bastos, Barboza, Alex Telles, Gregore, Marlon Freitas, Artur, Patrick de Paula, Santiago Rodríguez, Igor Jesus.

Prediction

Palmeiras 2-1 Botafogo