RIO DE JANEIRO, Oct. 21 (Xinhua) -- Penarol manager Diego Aguirre said Monday that Botafogo will be the "clear favorites" when the sides meet in the Copa Libertadores semifinals.

The first leg of the tie will be played at Botafogo's Olympic Stadium in Rio de Janeiro on Wednesday, and the return fixture is slated for October 30 in Montevideo.

"It will be very difficult," Aguirre told FIFA.com. "We will play first in Rio at a very difficult venue. For me, Botafogo is the best team in the Libertadores.

"They are the favorites to win the title. Botafogo is a very powerful team, and I have a lot of respect for them. Anything is possible in football, and they are clearly the favorites."

Penarol, who won the most recent of their five Copa Libertadores titles in 1987, reached the last four of South America's premier club competition by beating Flamengo 1-0 on aggregate in the quarterfinals. Botafogo advanced with a penalty shootout victory over Sao Paulo.

Aguirre said Brazilian Serie A leaders Botafogo would pose a far sterner challenge than Flamengo.

"When we played against Flamengo, they weren't at their best," Aguirre said. "They had four important players injured. The team and [then-manager] Tite were under a lot of pressure, and the results weren't going their way.

"Botafogo's case is completely the opposite. They are leading the Brazilian top flight, and their players are scoring goals for the national team. They are at their best. Therefore, the match will be much more difficult for us." Enditem

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