In the opening Group H game of the Copa Libertadores, Deportivo La Guaira welcome Atletico Mineiro to the Estadio Olimpico de la UCV on Wednesday.
The hosts come into the tie off the back of an uneventful goalless draw against Aragua FC, while the visitors claimed a 2-1 win over Boa Esporte.
Match preview
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The Venezuelan Primera Division returned to action last Monday as Deportivo La Guaira were held to a goalless draw against Aragua FC.
The La Guaira outfit will now head to the Copa Libertadores, where they are making their first appearance at the tournament.
Deportivo La Guaira came closest to making their debut in 2019, but suffered a 1-0 loss to Atletico Nacional in the second qualifying stage.
Daniel Farias's side know they are clearly the underdogs this season, but they will aim to make a lasting first impression in the tournament.
Meanwhile, Atletico Mineiro head into this tie on the back of an impressive run of results in the Brazilian Mineiro Modulo I.
They sit at the top of the league standings with 24 points from 19 games and have a five-point cushion over second-placed America Mineiro.
Cuca's men came from behind to grab a hard-earned 2-1 win over Boa Esporte last week and this could serve as a huge confidence boost ahead of their Copa Libertadores opener.
Although Atletico Mineiro are no strangers to the continental tournament, their only title came back in 2013, when they grabbed a 4-3 penalty shootout victory over Olimpia.
The Paraguayan side grabbed a 2-0 first-leg lead, but Atletico Mineiro overturned the deficit in the second leg thanks to goals from Jo and Leonardo Silva.
However, the Roosters have not made past the quarter-finals since then, and they will aim to surpass that run this season.
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Team News
The hosts have a clean bill of health coming into this tie, but we expect Farias to make a few changes to his side that were held to a goalless draw last time out.
Twenty-eight-year-old forward Jose Miguel Reyes had an impressive 18-minute cameo last time out, and will push for a place in the starting lineup.
With 19 goal involvements in 33 domestic games, Brazilian winger Keno has been a standout performer for Atletico Mineiro and he will once again play a key role in the centre of the park on Wednesday.
Brazilian striker Eduardo Sasha could be dropped from the starting XI for this tie, as he has failed to register a goal in his last six games.
Deportivo La Guaira possible starting lineup:
Olses; Aranburu, Cermeno, Cumana, Flores; Gonzalez, La Mantia, Ocanto; Ortiz, Pena, Pernia
Atletico Mineiro possible starting lineup:
Everson; Allan, Alonso, Arana , Borrero; Fernandez , Guga; Keno, Rever, Tche Tche; Vargas
We say: Deportivo La Guaira 0-2 Atletico Mineiro
Considering the gulf in quality and experience between both sides, Atletico Mineiro are clearly the superior team, and we fancy them to grab all three points against the newcomers.
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 Atletico Mineiro win with a probability of 42.72%. A win for Deportivo La Guaira had a probability of 32.22% and a draw had a probability of 25.1%.
The most likely scoreline for an Atletico Mineiro win was 0-1 with a probability of 9.19%. The next most likely scorelines for that outcome were 1-2 (8.98%) and 0-2 (6.98%). The likeliest Deportivo La Guaira win was 1-0 (7.79%), while for a drawn scoreline it was 1-1 (11.82%). The actual scoreline of 1-1 was predicted with an 11.8% likelihood.
