In the fourth all-Brazilian final at the Copa Libertadores over past five years, Botafogo will seek to lift the trophy for the first time when they battle Atletico Mineiro on Saturday at Estadio Mas Monumental in Buenos Aires.
A 3-0 aggregate victory in their semi-final tie with River Plate enabled Mineiro to reach this stage for the second time, while Fogo eliminated Penarol by a combined score of 6-3.
Match preview
Some resolute defending and strong overall performances at home have left Atletico Mineiro one win away from South American glory for the second time in club history.
In the knockout phase of this tournament, they have been razor-sharp at the back, conceding just two goals while posting three successive clean sheets.
Since their 0-0 draw with River Plate in late October, this team are winless in eight consecutive matches across all competitions, conceding multiple goals in back-to-back Brasileiro encounters.
Gabriel Milito's men have not won a Libertadores knockout game this year away from home but are also unbeaten in three previous road contests at this tournament.
At the same time, Atletico have not beaten a Brazilian opponent in the knockout portion of the Libertadores since 2013, defeating Sao Paulo that year, 2-1 and 4-1, respectively, en route to lifting the trophy for the first and only time to date.
The last time they were in the final of this tournament, Galo erased a 2-0 first-leg deficit versus Olimpia, winning the return match by that same score before claiming the title in a shootout.
For Botafogo, the road to the final has been filled with close calls, but each time, the league leaders in the Brazilian top flight this season have found a way.
After a narrow 3-2 aggregate victory over Palmeiras, followed by a shootout triumph versus Sao Paulo, Fogo did not leave anything to chance in their opening semi-final affair, winning 5-0.
That was enough to see them through to the final for the first time in club history as they seek their first away victory in the knockout portion of this tournament.
Since losing to Penarol in leg two of their semi-final tie, the club from Rio are unbeaten in five consecutive matches across all competitions, conceding only two goals over that span.
Artur Jorge's side are unbeaten in their last 19 competitive fixtures against Brasileiro Serie A teams and have not lost to a club from Brazil since Juventude beat them 3-2 in August.
O Glorioso have only conceded once in their last five meetings versus Atletico Mineiro, losing only one of those encounters (1-0 in 2023 at Arena MRV).
Team News
For this encounter, Atletico are likely to be without Cadu, who is recovering from knee surgery, and Matias Zaracho, who may be a few weeks away from a return after sustaining a muscle injury.
Only three players who did not feature in the opening leg against River Plate saw the field in that return engagement as Eduardo Vargas, Renzo Saravia and Rubens all entered the match in Buenos Aires as substitutes.
Everson stopped the six efforts that he faced in their previous Libertadores affair, collecting his third successive clean sheet of the competition.
As for Botafogo, Rafael is the only injury concern, with the defender not expected to return from his knee injury until early December.
Mateo Ponte will not be available for this match after being sent off fewer than 10 minutes after coming on to replace Vitinho in the second half of their previous Libertadores game.
Five changes were made to their starting 11 in the second leg versus Penarol, with Adryelson, Danilo, Tche Tche, Matheus Martins and Tiquinho replacing Alexander Barboza, Gregore, Luiz Henrique, Igor Jesus and Thiago Almada, with Almada scoring their only goal in leg two.
Atletico Mineiro possible starting lineup:
Everson; Lyanco, Battaglia, Alonso; Scarpa, Vera, Franco, Arana; Hulk, Paulinho; Deyverson
Botafogo possible starting lineup:
John; Vitinho, Adryelson, Bastos, Telles; Gregore, Freitas; Savarino, Tche Tche, Almada; Santos
We say: Atletico Mineiro 0-1 Botafogo
Mineiro will not be an easy defensive unit to break down, but Fogo are more than comfortable in tight games, and we believe they will find a solution given all the momentum they have on their side.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
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