Copinha knockout: Vasco face unbeaten rivals, attack dilemma | OneFootball

The margin for error is over. This Monday (12th), the under-20 team of Vasco da Gama takes the field to begin their journey in the knockout stage of the São Paulo Junior Football Cup. The opponent will be Botafogo-SP, in a single match valid for the second phase of the competition. The ball rolls at 2:45 PM (Brasília time), in the city of Brodowski, in the interior of São Paulo, and the Vasco Family can follow the duel with live broadcast on the X Sports channel.

+ Fernando Diniz will use the pre-season and the start of the Carioca to evaluate Vasco's squad

The challenge of erasing the bad impression

The Cruz-Maltino arrives for this confrontation needing to give a response on the field. The qualification in the group stage came with second place in Group 12 and a campaign considered "below expectations." After debuting with a win against Velo Clube, the team suffered a tough 3-1 defeat to Guanabara City and needed a hard-fought comeback against I9 in the last round to advance. The goal now is to leave the instability behind and show strength at this decisive moment.

Doubt in Vasco's attack

To complicate coach Matheus Curopos's mission, Vasco might have a significant absence. Forward Bruno Lopes, the team's top scorer and technical reference, left the last game injured and is still considered doubtful. The coach will wait until the last moment to decide if he can count on his goal scorer. Besides him, winger Juninho is also expected to remain out of action.

On the other side, Botafogo-SP is having a bright moment. The São Paulo team had a 100% success rate in the first phase, leading Group 11 with victories over Santa Cruz (3-1), Bandeirante (3-1), and Tuna Luso (1-0). Playing in their state, the opponent seeks to surprise the Giant of the Hill, promising a high-tension duel in Brodowski.

The team will fight for the title – Photo: Reproduction

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