Excited by the victory, in the classic against Cruzeiro, Atletico-MG has this Sunday, October 29, as a rival opponent in their fight to get the right to play the 2018 edition of the Copa Libertadores de America. At the Independência stadium, in Belo Horizonte, will face Botafogo. The match, which is part of the schedule of the thirty-first round, is scheduled to start at 5:00 p.m. (Brasília time).
Atlético-MG’s recent performance
Three points and significant increase in self-esteem. That was Galo’s balance after a 3-1 victory over Cruzeiro on Sunday, October 22, in Mineirão, for the thirtieth round of the Brasileirão.
Success did not yield positions on the table. The alvinegro miner followed in tenth, now with 41 points (11 wins, eight draws and 11 losses). However, he managed to improve his situation in an attempt to reach one of the top seven places, which allow teams to play the next edition of the most important tournament in South America.
The next mission of coach Oswaldo Oliveira to reach this goal is to try to revive the slogan “fell in the Horto, is dead”, in reference to the spectacular performance that the Galo presented in its stadium in the previous seasons. In 2017, he was retired.
Of the 45 points that he played as principal, Atletico-MG reached only 15 (four wins, three draws and eight losses). It is the third worse performance home among the 20 clubs of the First Division. It only surpasses Vitória and Atlético-GO, who are in the relegation zone.
To try to reverse this situation, Oliveira will be able to count on the return of half Elias. The athlete was expelled in the defeat against Chapecoense and completed the automatic suspension before Cruzeiro. Although he is not having outstanding performances, he will most likely be listed among the starters.
The right-back Marcos Rocha, who played in the classic, was still not 100% physically recovered after going through a series of injuries throughout the season. So he had to switch ball training for gym activities to improve physical fitness. But even so, he should be among the starters against Botafogo.
The current form of Botafogo
The Rio de Janeiro rider also got a significant result in the thirtieth round. At home, at the end of the day’s schedule, they defeated Corinthians, the leader, by 2 to 0. This made the team reach sixth. With 47 points (13 wins, eight draws and nine defeats), he is in the qualifying zone for the Copa Libertadores.
His goal in the final stretch of the Brasileirão, however, is a bit higher. The tournament offers two types of seats for the continental tournament. The “first class” is reserved for the first four places. These teams will be assured in the group stage.
The “second class” currently includes the teams in the sixth and seventh places, as Cruzeiro, fifth placed, is already in the group stage of the continental tournament for having won the Brazilian Cup. In this position, the clubs need to play two qualifying rounds.
This not only involves the risk of elimination, but also disrupts the schedule for the season as the games are made shortly after the teams return from the holiday. Botafogo had to face this obstacle in the current season and was successful.
To try to avoid the repetition of this situation, it has as close target the Grêmio, fourth placed, that reached 50 points and does not give importance to the games of Brasileirão. It is concentrated in the dispute of the semifinals of the 2017 edition of the Copa Libertadores of America.
As the Gauchos must send an entirely reserve team to face Avaí, threatened with relegation, this Sunday in Florianópolis, the clash against Galo becomes the key so that Botafogo can try to reach the Gaucho rival.
The visitor campaign of alvinegro in Rio, however, is not one of the most exciting. The team managed to score in ten of the 15 matches in that situation. However, the victories were only four. With 18 points accumulated, it is only the tenth best in this category in the Brasileirão.
History of the bouts between Atlético-MG and Botafogo
The duel of alvinegros had 47 occurrences in the Brazilian Championship. There were 19 botafoguenses victories, 15 atleticanas and 13 draws, including the 1 to 1 of the first round of the 2017 season.
PREDICTION: Botafogo win @ 4.60
