Table of Contents
Atletico Mineiro and Botafogo meet at the Estadio Monumental in Buenos Aires on Saturday for the fourth all-Brazilian Copa Libertadores final in the past five years. Mineiro denied River Plate the chance to play for the title at their home stadium with their semi-final victory over the Argentines, while Fogo eliminated Penarol to reach the last four.
Gabriel Milito’s side based their success on defense, with Mineiro one win away from their second South American title. Two goals conceded and three consecutive clean sheets is impressive, although they are winless since the goalless draw against River Plate at the end of October, with leaky Brasileirao causing concern. Milito has not seen his team win away from home in Libertadores this year, but they are undefeated in three away games. However, Mineiro have not defeated Brazilian opponents in the Libertadores knockout round since 2013 and their first title at this level came on penalties against Olimpia.
Artur Jorge’s side have lived on the edge and arrived here with a series of narrow wins, including beating Palmeiras and Sao Paulo. Penarol’s semi-final thumping was much more convincing and secured a place in the final for the first time in club history. However, Fogo has not won in the knockout stages, although the Rio team is unbeaten in five straight games in all competitions since beating the Uruguayans. With just two goals conceded in that time, O Glorioso have only conceded twice in that time and are unbeaten in 19 matches against Brazilian sides with just one goal conceded in their last five meetings with Mineiro, after just one defeat.
Here are our storylines, how to watch the match and more:
How to watch and odds
- Date: Saturday November 30 | Time: 3:00 PM ET
- Location: Estadio Monumental – Buenos Aires, Argentina
- Watch: beIN Sports | Current: Fubo (try for free)
- Chances: Mineiro +250; Sign +220; Botafogo +100
How they got here
Mineiro won five and lost one in Group G, placing him second. From there, Milito’s men defeated San Lorenzo, Fluminense and then River Plate to book their final berth. Botafogo won three, drew one and lost two in Group D to be seeded fourteenth. He then took out Palmeiras, Sao Paulo and Penarol to earn their chance at glory this weekend.
Team news
Myiro: Cadu and Matias Zaracho are expected to be missing, while Eduardo Vargas, Renzo Saravia and Rubens are all likely to be substitutes. Everson recorded his third consecutive clean sheet and will start in goal again for Milito’s side.
Possible Mineiro XI: Everson; Lyanco, Battaglia, Alonso; Scarpa, Vera, Franco, Arana; Hulk, Paulinho; Deyverson.
Cruzeiro: Rafael is likely to miss while Mateo Ponte is suspended after replacing Vitinho and being sacked last time out. Adryelson, Danilo, Tche Tche, Matheus Martins and Tiquinho came on for Alexander Barboza, Gregore, Luiz Henrique, Igor Jesus and Thiago Almada against Penarol, with Almada getting their goal in the second leg.
Possible Cruzeiro XI: John; Vitinho, Adryelson, Bastos, Telles; Gregore, Freitas; Savarino, Tche Tche, Almada; Santos.
Prediction
It’s a tough call, but Mineiro seems best equipped to stop his opponents from scoring, so a goal will likely be enough to see off Botafogo. It would be a surprise if both teams scored, so expect a low-scoring game with a slim final margin. Choose: Mineiro 1, Botafogo 0.