Atlético-MG and Botafogo will face each other this Monday, at 8 pm (Brasília time), at Mineirão. The match ends the 36th round of Serie A of the Brazilian Championship.
With the defeats of São Paulo and Athletico-PR, Galo can assume sixth place in the table, if they beat Botafogo. A place among the six best teams in the championship is worth a direct spot in the group stage of Libertadores, Atlético’s main objective at the end of the season.
Cuca counts on the return of Nacho Fernández after serving suspension in the game against São Paulo. The coach still has other doubts to climb the team. On the right, Mariano can return to the starting lineup in Guga’s spot. In the defense, Réver has a chance to appear in the place of Junior Alonso. In the attack, Ademir and Pavón dispute a place next to Keno and Vargas
For Botafogo, it’s all or nothing for the dream of playing in the next Copa Libertadores. Cariocas are in 11th position, with 47 points, five behind Atlético-MG, which closes the G-8. The defeat practically ends the chances of classification, while the victory leaves the team very much alive for the final rounds.
On the Glorious side, the possible novelty is a change in tactics. After scaling four forwards of origin in the last two rounds, Luís Castro can reinforce the midfield with the return of Lucas Fernandes. The team would return to formation with three players in the midfield, two wingers and a reference striker.
Both teams score
The duel is marked by two teams that have problems defensively. Therefore, the most likely scenario is an open game with a high number of scoring opportunities. So, a good guess is goals for both teams.
Under 3.5 goals
The average number of goals scored by Atlético-MG in the championship is 1.17 per game. The low offensive production, combined with Botafogo’s great performance as a visitor, makes the score not unusual.
.More than 8.5 corners
The average number of corners in Atlético-MG’s home games is 10.6 per game. Taking into account the decisive character of the game, another good guess is at least nine corners in the total of the game.
