Cruzeiro and Atlético-MG Meet at 21h in Mineirão Classic
Cruzeiro meets Atlético-MG on Saturday at 21h in the Mineirão, with the Belo Horizonte derby set for the 14th round of the Brasileirão. Cruzeiro arrives in 12th place with 16 points and three straight league wins, while Atlético-MG comes in after two losses and under pressure from the bottom end of the table.
Mineirão Classic at 21h
Sportv and Premiere will show the match live across Brazil, and ge.globo also carries access to the game. The referee will be Flávio Rodrigues de Souza, with Rodrigo Figueiredo Henrique Correa and Alex Ang Ribeiro as assistants, Rodrigo Guarizo Ferreira do Amaral on VAR duty and Fernando Antonio Mendes de Salles Nascimento Filho as fourth official.
For Cruzeiro, the classic comes after a 1-0 win over Boca Juniors in the third round of the first stage of the Libertadores. Artur Jorge has Cássio and Kauã Prates out with injuries, while William, Gerson and Arroyo are listed as booked.
Artur Jorge and the Cruzeiro XI
The probable Cruzeiro team has Otávio; Fagner or Kauã Moraes, Fabrício Bruno, Jonathan Jesus and Kaiki; Lucas Romero and Gerson; Matheus Pereira, Arroyo, Christian and Kaio Jorge. That shape gives Artur Jorge a back line still waiting on one right-side choice, while the attack is built around Matheus Pereira and Kaio Jorge.
Atlético-MG reaches the derby with its own changes. Eduardo Domínguez opted to preserve the starters during the week and take full strength to the classic, and he gained Marcquinhos as an option after no new absences appeared in recent weeks.
Eduardo Domínguez Options
Atlético-MG's probable side is Everson; Vitor Hugo, Natanael, Ruan Tressoldi and Renan Lodi; Alan Franco, Maycon, Victor Hugo or Tomás Perez; Bernard; Alan Minda or Cuello and Cassierra. Otávio and Matheus Cunha have been alternating in the starting team, and the youth player is expected to get the nod because he is in a better phase than Cunha.
Patrick, Índio and Cissé are out with injuries, and Lyanco, Ivan Román, Renan Lodi, Alan Franco and Tomás Perez are booked. The club also has Rafael Menin away from day-to-day activities and saw Hulk terminate his contract, leaving the derby framed by lineup decisions and off-field movement as much as league position.
Atlético-MG is level on points with the first team in the relegation zone, and it is bottom of Group B in the Copa Sul-Americana. Cruzeiro, meanwhile, has overtaken Atlético in the last round and enters the Mineirão with the cleaner league form, which puts the classic in front of both a local crowd and a national broadcast audience.
