Copa Libertadores final – Atletico Mineiro vs Botafogo

Venue: River Plate Stadium, Argentina Date: Saturday November 30th Start: 20:00 GMT

Cover: Watch live on iPlayer, BBC Three, BBC Sport app and website

Less than two weeks ago, Brazil was booed off the pitch in a half-empty stadium as another disappointing result saw them finish fifth in South America’s World Cup qualifying campaign.

But at club level it’s a completely different story.

Rio’s Botafogo and Belo Horizonte’s Atletico Mineiro meet in Saturday’s Copa Libertadores final, which you can watch live on BBC Three and BBC iPlayer.

It is the fourth all-Brazilian final in the last five years and it is the sixth consecutive time that a Brazilian club has won the cup. This dominance is unprecedented in the competition’s 64-year history.

The game will take place in Argentina at the stadium of Buenos Aires giants River Plate. But it’s a Brazilian party.

How can the difference be explained? The simple answer is money. The financial gap with the rest of the continent has widened.

Brazil’s big clubs can afford to bring back players from Europe – either those who haven’t quite lived up to expectations or veterans looking to end their careers.

And like a South American version of the Premier League, Brazil also attracts talent from neighboring countries.

Botafogo’s first team includes a World Cup winner from Argentina, national players from Venezuela and Angola and Paraguayans on the bench. Atletico has players from six South American countries.

Perhaps even more important was the presence of foreigners on the sidelines.

Brazil’s dominance in the Libertadores began with a revolutionary Flamengo team in 2019 under Portuguese coach Jorge Jesus. Since then, there has been a steady influx of foreign coaches into Brazilian football, particularly from Portugal and Argentina.

These countries will provide the coaches for Saturday’s duel: Botafogo coach Artur Jorge is Portuguese, while Atletico is coached by former Argentina international defender Gabriel Milito.

Who are the clubs?

Atletico is (along with Cruzeiro) one of the big two from the city of Belo Horizonte.

They were the first winners of a truly national Brazilian championship in 1971 and won the Libertadores in 2013 in a late prime of Ronaldinho’s career.

They have a large and fanatical fan base. There is a saying: If you hang a black and white striped shirt on the line during a storm, the Atlético fan will cheer against the wind.

They have had an excellent few years, achieving the league and cup double in 2021 and moving to a new stadium last year.

Botafogo – who also play in black and white jerseys – are famous because they provided so many great players to Brazil’s three World Cup victories between 1958 and 1970. However, they then crashed hard.

Widely considered Rio’s fourth force, they played to small crowds and were relegated to the second division three times.

Fate changed with a new law that allowed Brazilian clubs to open their capital and have owners.

This is where US businessman John Textor comes into play, who also owns Lyon and has a stake in Crystal Palace. He funded an extraordinary transformation.

The team that played in the second division in 2021 is now in the race for the championship title just like the Libertadores.

Which players should you watch out for?

Botafogo’s recent rise isn’t just about money.

The scouting department has done an exceptional job finding players where others aren’t looking.

The obvious example is Igor Jesus.

A few months ago he was a virtual unknown playing in the United Arab Emirates. He made his debut for Botafogo in July and by October he was Brazil’s first-choice centre-forward, attracting interest from Premier League clubs.

Powerful left-footed right winger Luiz Henrique has had a wonderful few months since joining from Betis and has also forced his way into the Brazilian team.

Thiago Almada, from Argentina’s World Cup-winning squad, is a delightful little playmaker who seems to be relishing the big event – he put in a superb performance in Tuesday’s 3-0 away win over domestic rivals Palmeiras, a result that Botafogo the Lead leaves the championship title with two laps to go.

Premier League fans will also remember the full-backs: Vitinho, signed from Burnley, on the right and Alex Telles, formerly of Manchester United, on the left. Former Everton midfielder Allan is likely to be on the bench.

The name most associated with Atletico’s recent run of success is veteran striker Hulk.

Because his triumphs took place abroad, he was often disrespected by Brazilian fans – until he returned home to showcase his attacking menace on a weekly basis.

He has an excellent strike partnership with the lively Paulinho and whether starting or from the bench, Milito is sure to unleash the powerful left-footed centre-forward Deyverson, who scored the winner for Palmeiras in this competition three years ago.

Deyverson is a natural showman, full of antics but undeniably classy.

Former QPR striker Eduardo Vargas will be on the bench.

Former Southampton defender Lyanco could be in the starting XI, while Gustavo Scarpa, who had an unhappy spell at Nottingham Forest last year, plays a key role as a supply line for the forwards and finds space on the right to use his dangerous left foot.

A possible replacement for him in the second half is the promising Alisson Santana – the only teenage prodigy on display.

How will the game end?

It has become a game with a clear favorite.

Especially after Tuesday’s huge away win at Palmeiras, Botafogo is the team most people expect to win.

Their morale is high while Atletico are winless in ten games – their last win was in the first leg of the semi-final on October 22nd.

Since then, they have lost both games in the prestigious domestic cup final and slumped in the league.

So the crucial question is: How will Atlético approach the game?

Botafogo will look to assert themselves through quick attacks through the attacks of Luiz Henrique and the clever, quick, angled passes of Almada and Jefferson Savarino, their Venezuelan attacking midfielder.

At full strength, they are an exciting sight and possibly the best team South America has produced since the 2019 Flamengo team.

Atletico coach Milito usually wants to attack.

In the middle of his back three, Rodrigo Battaglia is a converted midfielder who helps the team play in defense.

Does the coach decide to sit back and strengthen the midfield? Or will he stick with an attacking trident and let Deyverson push back the Botafogo defense to make room for Hulk’s advances?

There are two arguments in favor of a more cautious game plan.

One is that Botafogo could be tiring towards the end of a busy season. They could pay a price for this important win over Palmeiras on Tuesday.

With the possibility of an extension, Milito could decide to play a waiting game.

The longer the results stay the same, the more nervous Botafogo is likely to become.

This new Botafogo is still waiting for its first title – and the first is the hardest.

Last year they let a huge lead slip away in the league – and what seemed like a certain victory ended in a disappointing fifth place.

This is a different and far better team.

But the collective trauma remains – and there have been some late wobbles throughout this Libertadores campaign.

The way to heal the trauma, of course, is to win the trophy – and it promises to be fun to see if Botafogo rises to the challenge, fulfills its potential and becomes the last of Brazil’s traditional Big 12 clubs to stand South America can be crowned champions.