Pressure on one side, tranquility on the other. That way Cruzeiro and Atletico-MG will take part in this Sunday, October 22, another edition of the classic miner. The clash is part of the schedule of the thirtieth round of the Brazilian Championship in its 2017 season. At Mineirão, in Belo Horizonte, it is scheduled to start at 5:00 p.m. (Brasília time).
Cruzeiro’s recent performance
Champion of the Brazilian Cup, the Raposa is on tour at Brasileirão. It does not have any ambition in the tournament and the games that remain serve only to comply with the table. Without showing much interest, perhaps because they are thinking of the classic, the Cruzeirenses were surpassed on Wednesday, October 18, by Coritiba, who occupy the relegation zone, 1-0 in Curitiba.
With 47 points (13 wins, eight draws and eight losses), Cruzeiro ranks fifth in the Brasileirão standings. Although he has real chances to fight for the runner-up, the club gives even signs that the 2018 season has begun.
After the electoral process, the new toppers promoted a reformulation in the command of the soccer and prioritized the renewal of the contract of the coach Mano Menezes to give the start in the search of reinforcements for the next year.
The coach, however, has not yet hit the hammer in relation to his permanence. After all, it also appears on the news as the preferred to take command of Palmeiras. In this way, he has the knife and the cheese in his hand to have his salary increased and requirements in relation to the working conditions served. That would include a three-year contract with Fox.
Although the interest in the final stretch of the Brasileirão is near zero by the Cruzeirenses, this situation changes when the agenda establishes the classic against the alvinegro ahead. Because of the duel, the men and Mano Menezes have agreed to temporarily suspend negotiations so that the coach can focus solely and exclusively on preparation for the local duel.
Without suspended athletes, the coach has practically all the cast at their disposal to define the team that will face the Rooster. As usual, however, he has not revealed which will be his chosen.
The current form of Atlético-MG
The alvinegro was also defeated in the round of number 29 of the Brasileirão. Its failure, nevertheless, had proportions much greater than the defeat cruzeirense. At home, after taking advantage in the marker, took the turn and was beaten by Chapecoense by 3 to 2.
Failure in the home, however, can not be considered novelty. Since adopting the Independência stadium as headquarters, where he coined the slogan “Caiu no Horto tá morto”, the Rooster makes his worst campaign as a principal. Of the 45 points played as principal, he added only 15 (four wins, three draws and eight losses). It is the third worst in this category among the 20 clubs that compete for the 2017 edition of the Brazilian Championship.
The biggest problem of the result was to compromise the reaction that Atlético-MG had been presenting in an attempt to enter the qualifying zone for the 2018 version of the Copa Libertadores de America. When parking in the 38 points (ten victories, eight draws and 11 losses), the alvinegro stayed further away from that goal. He fell to the tenth place.
The coach Oswaldo Oliveira should not, however, promote many changes in the team. A certain exchange will be in relation to the half Elijah. He was sent off in the match against Chape and will have to comply with automatic suspension. Doubt for the classic exists in relation to the use of the Ecuadorian midfielder Cazares. With consecutive performances below the expectation, the athlete can lose the vacancy between the holders for the Venezuelan Otero.
History of matches vs. Cruzeiro vs Atlético-MG
The classic miner has had 60 occurrences in the Brasileirão since 1971. There were 22 wins of the Rooster, 20 of the Raposa and 18 draws. In the first round of the 2017 season, Atlético-MG scored 3-1.
PREDICTION:Cruzeiro win @ 2.05
