Juventude and Atlético-MG will settle their round-of-16 tie in the Copa do Brasil 2026 on Tuesday at Alfredo Jaconi, with kickoff set for 19:30 Brasília time. After a 0-0 draw in the first leg at Arena MRV, the winner will advance to the quarterfinals and secure R$ 4 million.
The matchup now shifts to Caxias do Sul, where Juventude has been difficult to beat. The club has suffered only two defeats at Alfredo Jaconi this season, a sign that the home side should feel comfortable in a game where control, patience and concentration matter as much as attacking volume.
For Atlético-MG, the return leg is about more than just survival in the competition. The club is also trying to keep alive a path to the Libertadores de 2027, which adds another layer of urgency to a tie that is still completely open after the scoreless first meeting.
What changes for the second leg
If the match ends level after 90 minutes, the tie goes straight to penalties. That makes the opening phase especially important, because neither team has a margin for error after the first-leg stalemate.
Juventude’s approach under Maurício Barbieri has been built around what he described as the team’s collective performance and tactical discipline. That formula helped keep the first leg even, and it should again be central at home, where the club has been strong for much of the season.
Atlético-MG, meanwhile, is expected to keep the base of the team it used in the first leg. Eduardo Domínguez may also bring Cissé into the starting lineup, a move that would add another option as the visitors look for a goal that could change the entire tone of the tie.
At a knockout stage, those details can decide everything. One strong run, one set-piece, or one mistake can be enough to send a club through or force it into the pressure of penalties.
Possible lineups and absences
The round-of-16 second leg also comes with a few squad questions on both sides. For Juventude, the available names being tracked include Rodrigo Sam, Messias, Gabriel Pinheiro, Mandaca, Aderlan, Nathan, Jandrei, Lucas Mineiro, Raí Silva, Patryck Lanza, Alisson Safira, Fábio Lima, Will Messias and others listed for the match.
Atlético-MG’s pool of options includes Dudu, Cuello, Alan Minda, Cassierra, Everson, Natanael, Ruan, Lyanco, Renan Lodi, Pérez, Bernard, Victor Hugo, Léo Duarte, Patrick and Índio, with Cissé the main possible change noted for the starting lineup.
The officiating team will also draw attention, with three out of four officials coming from SP, TO, SC and SE. Flavio Rodrigues de Souza is involved, along with Alex Ang Ribeiro, Cipriano da Silva Sousa and Rafael Traci, while Fabio Augusto Santos Sá Junior is also listed in the match context.
With the tie level and the stakes clear, Tuesday’s meeting at Alfredo Jaconi is exactly the kind of late-round Copa do Brasil game that can turn on composure rather than margin. For Juventude, home advantage is the selling point. For Atlético-MG, the target is simple: leave Caxias do Sul still alive, and still chasing the quarterfinal prize.
This decisive setup follows the same knockout pressure seen in other round-of-16 ties, including Palmeiras and Fortaleza’s opener and Santos against Remo, where the first leg left little room for another slip.
