Atletico Mineiro entertain Flamengo in the Brasileiro Serie A on Wednesday.
Flamengo have two games in hand on their interstate rivals and can move one point behind them in the table with a victory.
Match preview
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Having finished third last season, Cuca is under huge pressure to maintain Atletico Mineiro's place towards the top of the table.
The 58-year-old was brought in for his second spell at the club in March and is delivering so far, with 16 points from nine games guiding them to fourth position.
Having also had two spells in charge of Flamengo earlier in his managerial career, Cuca will be particularly keen to get one over on his former side, who of course hold a huge rivalry with his current one.
Galo certainly head into Wednesday's clash in excellent form having won two successive matches, with a thrilling 4-1 victory against Atletico Goianiense backed up by a gritty 1-0 win away to Cuiaba on Sunday.
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Flamengo, meanwhile, are defending champions in Brazil after winning successive titles in 2019 and 2020.
Former Fortaleza manager Rogerio Ceni has been in charge since November, holding an impressive 56% win rate in all competitions since joining the club.
However, Urubu suffered a major setback in their quest to win a third successive domestic title when losing 1-0 at home to Fluminense on Sunday, with Andre's 91st minute winner for the visitors a tough one to take.
Due to having two games in hand on the majority of the division, Flamengo's position of 10th in the table is arguably a false one, even if four wins and three losses is not the return Flamengo fans and Ceni alike would have been hoping for.
However, a win on Wednesday could take them as high as fifth in the table depending on results elsewhere, with league leaders Bragantino currently nine points ahead having played two more matches.
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Team News
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Atletico Mineiro look set to be without Keno, Dodo and Rafael for Wednesday's hugely anticipated clash with Flamengo.
Keno and Dodo have both been out of late with thigh injuries, while Rafael has a shoulder issue. The trio should return at some point in July.
Former Zenit St Petersburg Hulk forward should start in attack.
Flamengo, meanwhile, will travel to Belo Horizonte without Vitinho after the attacking midfielder picked up his third booking of the season and a one-match ban in the defeat to Fluminense.
Max Alves is in line to replace him on the right flank, but Diego and Cesar will remain on the treatment table for the foreseeable future with knee injuries.
Giorgian de Arrascaeta started in Uruguay's penalty shootout defeat to Colombia in the Copa America quarter-finals on Saturday so will remain unavailable.
Atletico Mineiro possible starting lineup:
Everson; Mariano, Rabello, Rever, Arana; Allan, Tche Tche; Zaracho, Fernandez, Savarino; Hulk
Flamengo possible starting lineup:
D.Alves; Matheuzinho, Caio, Henrique, Luis; M.Alves, Maia, Arao, Michael; Pedro, Henrique
We say: Atletico Mineiro 1-1 Flamengo
We can envisage a share of the spoils on Wednesday, with neither side wanting to lose this fierce interstate rivalry.
Both sides have been in decent form so far this season, with Flamengo needing to capitalise on their games in hand in order to climb the table once they receive the opportunity to do so.
Top tip
Data Analysis
Our analysis of all available data, including recent performances and player stats up until an hour before kickoff, suggested the most likely outcome of this match was a Flamengo win with a probability of 49.41%. A win for Atletico Mineiro had a probability of 26.05% and a draw had a probability of 24.5%.
The most likely scoreline for a Flamengo win was 0-1 with a probability of 10.4%. The next most likely scorelines for that outcome were 1-2 (9.53%) and 0-2 (8.51%). The likeliest Atletico Mineiro win was 1-0 (7.11%), while for a drawn scoreline it was 1-1 (11.64%). The actual scoreline of 2-1 was predicted with a 6.5% likelihood.
