Battered Racing host Botafogo at the Cilindro in Sudamericana | OneFootball

La Academia returns to playing at home after two blows in the clásicos and needs to reaffirm its strong international start against a high-caliber opponent.

Racing Club will host Botafogo this Wednesday at 7:00 p.m. at the Presidente Perón Stadium for the second matchday of Group E in the Copa Sudamericana 2026. Gustavo Costas’ team will look to make home advantage count and repeat what it did against the Brazilian side in the 2025 Recopa, in a key clash to begin shaping its path to qualification.

La Academia’s current form is inconsistent. On the international stage, it got off to the right start by beating Independiente Petrolero, but domestically it suffered two hard blows: defeats in the clásicos against Independiente and River exposed defensive shortcomings and a lack of fluidity in its play. In that context, Costas’ side needs to regain confidence and show its best version in front of its fans.

On the other side, Botafogo is not arriving in calm waters either. Its elimination in the preliminary stage of the Copa Libertadores caused internal upheaval, with Martín Anselmi leaving and Portuguese coach Franclim Carvalho arriving, just beginning his spell in charge. In its Sudamericana debut, Fogão drew 1-1 with Caracas and is now obliged to pick up points in Avellaneda to avoid falling behind in the group.

Despite the unstable moment, the Brazilian side has important names in midfield such as Danilo, Cristian Medina, and Álvaro Montoro, which makes it a dangerous opponent. Racing, for its part, will try to impose itself from the outset, backed by its attacking power and the recent precedent in which it dominated this same rival in the Recopa.

It will be a decisive clash in the battle for the top of Group E: Racing wants to confirm its status as a contender, while Botafogo needs to show character to stay in the race.

This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇪🇸 here.