Atletico Mineiro can avoid a third successive exit from the Copa do Brasil round of 16 with a victory on Wednesday against CRB in the second leg of that tie at Arena MRV.
The club from Belo Horizonte overcame an early setback in the first leg of this tie to claim a 2-2 draw against Galo de Praia at Estadio Rei Pele.
Match preview
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Before their match with CRB was 10 minutes old, Mineiro were already two goals behind, but to their credit, Galo fought back to avoid defeat.
It was the first time this team had failed to win the opening game in the last 16 of this tournament since playing to a 0-0 draw with Chapecoense at this stage in 2018, exiting that year on penalties in leg two.
Mineiro have not advanced beyond this phase of the competition when level after the opening leg, since 2016 when they ousted Ponte Preda on away goals and made it to the final, losing out to Gremio.
Gabriel Milito's men have won their last three matches in all competitions at Arena MRV, suffering one defeat in their previous 16 home games (4-2 versus Flamengo).
Galo have won 11 consecutive home matches in this competition, with their last Copa do Brasil defeat at home occurring against Gremio in the opening leg of the 2016 final (3-1).
They have only lost one match this year when scoring the opening goal, suffering a 2-1 defeat to CA Patrocinense in January at the Campeonato Mineiro.
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CRB got off to a blistering start in the opening leg of this tie, but ultimately, fatigue set in as they only had 26% of the possession and gave up six efforts on target.
Nonetheless, it is their first positive result at this stage of any Copa do Brasil tournament, and it has them within reach of the quarter-finals for the first time.
Daniel Paulista's men have yet to lose or concede a Copa do Brasil match this year away from home, though they are winless in eight successive matches as the visitors across all competitions.
With a victory on Wednesday, CRB would become the first Serie B side to make the last eight of this tournament since Cuiaba in 2021.
The club based in Marcelo are not in great form at the moment, winless in their last four matches across all competitions and losing 2-0 against Operario in Serie B action last weekend.
Galo (de Campina) have given Serie A sides all they can handle at this tournament, taking Athletico Paranaense to penalties in the third round last year and knocking out the mighty Palmeiras in a shootout in 2021.
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Team News
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Atletico's leading goalscorer in Serie A this season, Hulk, was taken off after just 16 minutes in the opening leg with an apparent calf strain and is unlikely to feature in this one, while Alisson has a sprained ankle, Mauricio Lemos is dealing with a muscle injury and Everson is recovering from a broken finger.
A 41st-minute penalty by Paulinho cut the CRB deficit in half last week, with Gustavo Scarpa levelling the match nine minutes after the interval.
On Wednesday, CRB will be without Willian Formiga as he received a straight red card shortly after the equaliser by Mineiro in the opening leg.
The man on loan from Ceara put his side in front after six minutes last Wednesday, with Leo Pereira, who is on loan from Atletico Goianiense, scoring moments later.
Atletico Mineiro possible starting lineup:
Mendes; Lyanco, Fuchs, Alonso; Scarpa, Otavio, Zaracho, Arana; Bernard; Vargas, Paulinho
CRB possible starting lineup:
Albino; Hereda, Saimon, G. Henrique, Ryan; Falcao, Pedro; Ribeiro, Gege, Pereira; Ramon
We say: Atletico Mineiro 2-1 (Atletico Mineiro advances 4-3 on aggregate) CRB
While CRB have a history of punching above their weight, we believe their Copa do Brasil journey will end on Wednesday against a Mineiro side eager to salvage something from what has been a disappointing top-flight campaign.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
Joel Lefevre
