Igor Jesus, Adamo, Sapata… See Botafogo’s options to make up for Tiquinho’s absence | botafogo

Botafogo won a problem for the important and decisive sequence of games, which includes Libertadores, Copa do Brasil and Brasileirão. Striker Tiquinho Soares had a muscle injury to his right thigh and will be out for up to six weeks. And how will the club make up for this absence?

Naturally, Eduardo takes the position. He has already replaced the number 9 throughout 2023 and performed well. In the game against Universitario, last Wednesday, when Tiquinho was injured, he came on and did the job by scoring two goals in the 3-1 victory.

The fan can ask about the situation of the center forward Igor Jesus, who has already had a pre-contract signed since the beginning of the year. However, his expected arrival in Brazil remains June, with no chance for anticipation. He was a hero for Shabab Al-Ahli in winning the UAE Super Cup recently, he is a starter for the team, and the club does not accept releasing him early.

Another option would also be Uruguayan Valentín Adamo, signed in mid-2023. With no space in the squad, he was loaned to Unión Española, in Chile, to gain minutes and has been scoring goals there. The 21-year-old player was on the field eight times, found the net twice and even provided an assist. The team is third in the Chilean Championship.

Botafogo signed a contract with Unión for one year, but there is a possibility that he will return to Rio de Janeiro in the middle of the period.

Flamengo x Botafogo face each other tomorrow at 11am

In addition to these names already known by the fans, the club is working patiently with three base attackers, who could appear as a surprise among those involved in the marathon of games.

Sapata, 21 years old, Lucas Vargas, 19, and Kayke, just 17, train with the professional squad and are observed by the technical committee. The last two, in fact, were not involved in the classic against Fluminense in the Brazilian Under-20 Championship, last Friday.

The first is no longer under-20 age and is part of Botafogo’s transition project, which is to have a link with the main squad and train with younger players at times, even without competing in competitions in the category – the club does not have more under-23.

He even already scored a goal for Botafogo – against Sampaio Corrêa, just a minute into the game. Despite being an option, he plays more on the right side of the attack, and has also been used as a midfielder.

Vargas has been based at Botafogo since childhood. In 2024, he has 10 games for the under-20s and three goals, and his main characteristic is finishing. Left-handed and tall, he is also one of those who have projection and are observed internally.

Kayke is the youngest and is also a center forward. Despite being shorter than Vargas, he is strong and was the team’s highlight in this year’s Copa São Paulo de Futebol Júnior, with four games and two goals. He is also part of the squad and is another with a promising future within the club.

With the presentation of more “ready” players only in June, such as Igor Jesus and Adamo, Botafogo polishes their talents, which may appear in the marathon of consecutive games.

Watch: all about Botafogo on ge, on Globo and on sportv