Bahia and Botafogo meet at 17h30 on Saturday at Casa de Apostas Arena Fonte Nova in Salvador in the 18th round of the Brasileirão, a game that arrives with both clubs trying to close out one more match before the pause for the Copa do Mundo. Bahia need it most. They have not won in eight matches, yet they still sit eighth with 23 points.
The timing is why the fixture has drawn so much attention. It is the last league game before the break, it comes with live coverage on TV Globo and Premiere, and ge will follow the action in Tempo Real. Botafogo, meanwhile, started the round in 10th place with 22 points and arrives off a 3-1 win over Caracas in the Sul-Americana, a result that allowed the team to rest almost all of its starters before turning back to the Brasileirão.
Rogério Ceni gets two important returns in Erick and Rodrigo Nestor after both missed the previous round, while Ronaldo has recovered from injury and can return to the starting lineup. That matters because Bahia’s shape has been shaken by absences and last-minute setbacks. Erick should take Acevedo’s place while the midfielder serves a suspension, and Iago Borduchi was hurt on the eve of the match and is expected to be replaced by Zé Guilherme. Léo Vieira will undergo knee surgery and will not play, with Luciano Juba and Ruan Pablo also out.
Bahia’s probable lineup points to Ronaldo; Roman Gomez or Gilberto, David Duarte, Kanu and Zé Guilherme; Erick, Jean Lucas and Everton Ribeiro; Sanabria, Kike Olivera or Ademir, Erick Pulga and Willian José. Botafogo is also expected to make changes, but from a stronger position. The probable side is Neto; Vitinho, Ferraresi, Justino and Alex Telles or Marçal; Huguinho and Medina; Lucas Villalba, Montoro or Edenilson and Matheus Martins; Arthur Cabral. Joaquín Correa is suspended after picking up his third yellow card against São Paulo, while Allan, Bastos, Júnior Santos, Kaio Pantaleão and Nathan Fernandes remain unavailable.
That leaves the real question in Salvador less about the date on the calendar than about who actually runs out in the first whistle. Bahia’s winless run has left little room for error, and Botafogo’s midweek rotation suggests it is treating this as a game worth chasing. Davi de Oliveira Lacerda will referee, with Douglas Pagung and Pedro Amorim de Freitas as assistants, Lucas Canetto Bellote as fourth official and Marcio Henrique de Gois on VAR. The final lineups will answer the only uncertainty that still matters: who starts when the two sides walk out at Fonte Nova on Saturday afternoon.
