Botafogo tries to close gap at the top

Botafogo faces Corinthians tonight at the Maracana Stadium, in a game postponed from the 7th round of the Brazilian Serie A soccer league. A win takes the team to 36 points, four less than current leaders Sao Paulo. The visitors are trying to build up on the comeback win over Gremio, 2-1, which took them out of the relegation zone. They will have a tough time against a team determined to show it's still in the chase for the league title.

Botafogo will have several players back to its lineup. Juninho, Luciano Almeida, Tulio and Lucio Flavio return after serving a one-game suspension on the 1-1 away draw with Figueirense. But Renato Silva and Andre Lima are out of the team, suspended. For Corinthians, Finazzi returns to the starting lineup after scoring one goal and giving an assist coming out of the bench against Gremio. Defender Zelao is suspended, while left-back Carlao is sidelined with an injury.