São Paulo vs Atlético Mineiro Preview

Topics: Sao Paulo, Atletico Mineiro, Copa Libertadores

The Brazilian titans lock horns in what promises to be a hotly-contested Copa Libertadores knock-out stage clash at the Morumbi stadium on Thursday.

Sao Paulo and Atletico Mineiro, two of the strongest teams in the Copa Libertadores, face-off in an all-Brazilian Round of 16 opening leg clash at the legendary Morumbi stadium on Thursday.

Fate brought the sides together, as while Atletico Mineiro finished the group stage with the most points of any team in the competition, Sao Paulo finished it as the second-placed team with the least amount of points.

The sides met twice in the group stage, with Atletico Mineiro winning 2-1 in Belo Horizonte, while Sao Paulo beat their rivals 2-0 in the last game of the group stage at the Morumbi.

Sao Paulo, who have lifted the Copa Libertadores three times, understand that they face an extremely difficult Atletico Mineiro, but after their recent victory over them, will be confident about repeating the feat in front of their home fans.

Ney Franco, the coach of Sao Paulo, will only make one change to his regular starting line-up, with Aloisio occupying the vacancy left by the suspended Luis Fabiano. The Brazilian international will finally complete his four-game suspension imposed by Conmebol.

Midfielder Jadson will return to action after missing the 2-0 group win over Atletico Mineiro due to suspension, and will take the place of Douglas.

Veteran goalkeeper Rogerio Ceni, who scored a penalty in the win over Atletico Mineiro, will captain the side as they look for a crucial victory on home soil.

Atletico Mineiro, on the other hand, will be desperate to snatch a positive result in order to facilitate their passage into the quarter-finals of the competition when the teams meet again in Belo Horizonte for the return leg.

Cuca, the coach of the side, affirmed to the press that he will field an attacking-minded starting line-up, to increase their chances of returning home with a precious away goal.

Atletico Mineiro count with an abundance of talent in their squad, which includes players such as former FIFA World Player of the Year Ronaldinho, Jo, Diego Tardelli, Gilberto Silva and Bernard.

With the return of attackers Diego Tardelli and Bernard, Atletico Mineiro will be significantly more offensive than in previous encounters.

Cuca has confirmed that Gilberto Silva will come in for suspended centre-back Leo Silva, and will add a wealth of experience to the Atletico Mineiro back-line.