Fresh off the back of reaching the fourth round of the Copa do Brasil, Juventude play host to Atletico Mineiro in round 17 of the Brasileiro Serie A on Tuesday.
Gabriel Milito's men have won each of their previous meetings with the Verdao since August 2021 and will journey to the Estadio Alfredo Jaconi looking to extend this dominant run.
Match preview
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A 2-1 first-leg victory was enough to see Juventude through to the fourth round of the Copa do Brasil as they played out a 1-1 stalemate with Internacional in the return leg on Saturday to secure a 3-2 aggregate victory.
While Gilberto and Luis Oyama were both on target in the reverse leg, January signing Rodrigo Sam struck first in the second leg to put the hosts in front on the night to hand them a two-goal cushion in the tie before Enner Valencia pulled one back for Internacional with a 79th-minute penalty.
Head coach Roger Machado will hope that their cup success can serve as a catalyst for a fine run of form as Juventude return to the Serie A, where they have struggled for consistency in recent weeks.
The Verdao have won just four of their last nine league games, with their most recent league victory coming last Sunday when they edged out Gremio 3-0 courtesy of goals from Gilberto, Joao Lucas and Erick Farias on June 7.
Juventude have picked up 19 points from 14 matches to sit 13th in the Serie A standings, level on points with 12th-placed Internacional, and two points behind Tuesday's visitors in 10th place.
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Atletico Mineiro, on the other hand, returned to winning ways on Friday as they edged out 10-man Sao Paulo 2-1 when the sides squared off at the Arena MRV.
In a game where Alan Franco received his marching orders, Eduardo Vargas and Paulinho scored either side of Lucas Maura's 18th-minute equaliser to put Milito's side 2-1 up going into half time before they held their own in the second half to see out the win.
Atletico Mineiro had failed to taste victory in their previous three matches, playing out a 1-1 draw with Atletico Goianiense on June 30 before suffering consecutive defeats at the hands of Flamengo and Botafogo.
The Galo will be backing themselves to pick up where they left off at the weekend and secure consecutive league wins for the first time since April as they take on an opposing side who have lost each of their previous four meetings, conceding seven goals and scoring twice since a 1-0 win in October 2016.
However, Atletico Minerio will need to be at their best on Tuesday as they visit the Estadio Alfredo Jaconi where Juventude are on an 11-match unbeaten run across all competitions and have picked up the joint fifth-most points in the league so far (17).
Team News
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Juventude will take to the pitch without the services of 21-year-old forward Marcelinho, who is currently recuperating from a thigh injury.
He is joined on the club's injury list by fellow forward Edson Carioca, who continues his lengthy spell on the sidelines after picking up an injury back in April.
Brazilian forward Kleiton will also play no part in Tuesday's game after the 25-year-old recently completed a loan move to Serie B side CRB.
Meanwhile, Atletico Mineiro remain without several players down the spine of the team as Matias Zaracho (groin), Mariano (thigh) and Mauricio Lemos (muscle) are ruled out through injuries.
Matheus Mendes should retain his role between the sticks, with first-choice goalkeeper Everson set to sit out his sixth consecutive game due to a broken finger, while Alisson Santana has been ruled out through an ankle problem.
Juventude possible starting lineup:
Gabriel; Lucas, Abner, Sam, Ruschel; Jadson, Caique; Barbosa, Jean, Farias; Gilberto
Atletico Mineiro possible starting lineup:
Mendes; Saravia, Fuchs, Battaglia, Arana; Otavio, Franco, Scarpa; Vargas, Hulk, Paulinho
We say: Juventude 1-1 Atletico Mineiro
Off the back of a hard-fought win over Sao Paulo, Atletico Mineiro will head into Tuesday's game with confidence as they look to extend their dominance over Juventude. However, Machado's men have been near impenetrable at home this season and we predict that they will do just enough to force a share of the spoils.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
Joshua Ojele
