Atletico Mineiro (Brazil) – Rosario Central (Argentina)

Atletico Mineiro had a perfect debut in the Copa Libertadores last week, when they showed an enjoyable performance to secure an easy 4-1 away success at Caracas FC in Venezuela. Furthermore, O Galo lifted a new Minas Gerais State Championship title by beating arch-rivals Cruzeiro 3-1 away in the return leg of the final (5-3 on aggregate). Gabriel Milito’s men are on three competitive matches unbeaten, winning two and drawing one, and they also are without defeat in the last four as the hosting side (two victories and two stalemates).

Rosario Central also opened up their Libertadores’ campaign in a happy way: thanks to a goal from Carlos Quintana in the first half, they managed a massive 1-0 home victory over Uruguay’s Penarol to grab their first three points in group G. On Sunday, coach Miguel Russo fielded an alternative XI that ended up losing 2-1 away at River Plate, which means El Canalla remain on 14 points in 13 Copa Liga Profesional rounds. Central won only one of their last five matches in all competitions, drawing one and losing three in regular time. Furthermore, they are currently holding a four-match losing streak as the visiting side.

Despite last week’s win vs Peñarol, Rosario Central are far from the solid team they were last year. They don’t look good in defense and even worse in attack, and I don’t think they have a chance here against Atletico Mineiro who had a big win away in the 1st round and won a title last weekend.

BET: Atletico Mineiro -1 @ 1.79