

Brazilian giants Botafogo RJ, reigning Copa Libertadores champions, begin their FIFA Club World Cup campaign against Seattle Sounders at their home turf in Seattle. Despite the home advantage, the Sounders come into this game as clear underdogs.
Kick-off (Nepal Time): 7:45 PM, Sunday, June 16
Venue: Lumen Field, Seattle
Live On: DAZN
Botafogo are South America’s top seed in the tournament, and they arrive with firepower. Igor Jesus, who recently confirmed a move to Nottingham Forest, leads the attack alongside Arthur Cabral (9 goals in 951 minutes) and Jefferson Savarino, who was involved in 23 goals last season.
The Sounders, however, have shown they can hold their own at home, scoring 18 goals in eight games this season at Lumen Field. They’ll look to disrupt Botafogo’s rhythm and make the most of their physicality and pace.
Both teams have been underperforming their expected goals (xG) this season, which adds uncertainty to any clean predictions. Seattle average 1.47 goals per game with an xG of 1.70; Botafogo average 1.27 with an xG of 1.64.
Seattle Sounders (4-2-3-1):
Frei; Nouhou, Ragen, Bell, Kossa-Rienzi; Vargas, Roldan; de La Vega, Rusnak, Rothrock; Musovski
Botafogo RJ (4-3-3):
Victor; Telles, Ricardo, Jair, Vitinho; Rodriguez, Freitas, Gregore; Artur, Savarino, Jesus
Expect fireworks from both ends in this high-stakes group stage match. While Botafogo may control the ball and edge the quality, the Sounders will look to strike fast with the home crowd behind them.
Prediction: Seattle Sounders 1–2 Botafogo RJ












