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Reigning champions Palmeiras will travel to the Estadio Mineirao to take on Atletico Mineiro in the first leg of the Copa Libertadores quarterfinals on Wednesday. It's one of two all-Brazil fixtures at this stage of the competition, with Corinthians and Flamengo meeting in the first leg of the other a day earlier.
Palmeiras have won the Libertadores in the last two years, beating Brazilian opposition in both finals, so they'll be confident of overcoming Mineiro here. Palmeiras defeated Cerro Porteno 8-0 in the Round of 16, while Mineiro eked out a narrow 2-1 win over Emelec, thanks to a late penalty in the home leg, which ended 1-0.
The two-time defending champions are coming in with superior form compared to Mineiro. Palmeiras are on a four-game winning run, while Mineiro have just one win in their last five games.
Atletico Mineiro vs Palmeiras Head-to-Head
This will be the 50th meeting between the two teams since 1995. While the fixture has been contested closely, Palmeiras enjoy a 20-15 lead in wins, with 14 games ending in draws.
The two teams met in the semifinals last season, with both games ending in draws before Verdao progressed on away goals. Palmeiras and Atletico last met in league action in June at the Allianz Parque, which ended goalless.
Atletico Mineiro form guide (all competitions): L-L-D-W-L.
Palmeiras form guide (all competitions): W-W-W-W-L.
Atletico Mineiro vs Palmeiras Team News
Atletico Mineiro
Guilherme Arana picked up a thigh injury in the last league game, so his involvement here seems unlikely. Fortunately, his fellow left-back Dodo has resumed training and should play in place of Arana. Cristian Pavon, meanwhile, has not been included in the squad, as he remains unavailable.
Allan will serve the second of his two-game suspension for the red card he received against Emelec. Matías Zaracho, meanwhile, faces a late fitness test.
Injured: Guilherme Arana.
Doubtful: Matias Zaracho.
Suspended: Allan.
Unavailable: Cristian Pavon.
Palmeiras
Jailson is a confirmed absentee with a knee injury, while Rony's involvement remains doubtful.
Injured: Jailson, Henri.
Doubtful: Rony.
Suspended: None.
Unavailable: None.
Atletico Mineiro vs Palmeiras Predicted XIs
Atletico Mineiro (4-2-3-1): Everson (GK); Guga, Junior Alonso, Rever, Dodo; Otavio, Jair; Eduardo Sasha, Ignacio Fernandez, Otavio; Hulk.
Palmeiras (4-3-3): Weverton (GK); Mayke, Gustavo Gomez, Luan, Piquerez; Gabriel Menino, Danilo, Gustavo Scarpa; Dudu, Wesley, Rafael Navarro.
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Atletico Mineiro vs Palmeiras Prediction
Palmeiras have a 100% record in the Libertadores this season, scoring 33 goals in eight games. They are strong favourites here and should cause a lot of problems for Galo, who have kept just two clean sheets in the competition.
Mineiro have not scored more than one goal in their last seven games, which could be their undoing here. Palmeiras should be able to eke out a comfortable win.
Prediction: Atletico Mineiro 1-2 Palmeiras.
