Defending champions meet runaway leaders in the Campeonato Brasileiro Serie A on Thursday, as seventh-placed Atletico Mineiro host a Palmeiras side with an eight-point advantage at the top.
Having won their second Brazilian league title last season, 50 years after they won their first, the home side find themselves 17 points behind their rampant visitors, who are in pole position for a record-extending 11th championship.
Match preview
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The 2021-22 season was always going to be a tough act to follow for Atletico Mineiro, as they won an unprecedented league and cup double for the first time in their 114-year history.
Nonetheless, a disappointing round-of-16 exit to Flamengo in the cup, along with patchy league form and a quarter-final defeat in the Copa Libertadores, has seen Galo crashing back down to earth.
Four points behind Athletico Paranaense, who currently hold the final qualifying spot for next season's Copa Libertadores, Cuca's men can attribute their slide down the table to stuttering home form, winning none of their last six games at Mineirao, despite picking up an incredible 51 points from a possible 57 in front of their own fans last season.
Four defeats on home soil since, including to local rivals America Mineiro, as well as a draw to struggling Coritiba after going 2-0 up, have come to epitomise a frustrating inconsistency that simply was not there last campaign.
Away from home, and while the side from Belo Horizonte have the third-best record in the league, a 1-0 defeat to 17th placed Avai last time out underlined the importance of Hulk to this side, as Galo put in a disjointed performance up front in the absence of their talisman.
The division's top scorer last campaign, with nine goals in 21 appearances this time around, Atletico Mineiro have dropped points in four of their last five encounters without the 36-year-old striker, and will be desperate for his return to fitness ahead of the visit of the league leaders.
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Coincidentally, Palmeiras' 57 points after 27 games is one more than Atletico Mineiro had themselves at this point last season, before they ran away with that famous second league title by a margin of 13 points.
Currently on a run of 12 games without defeat, the visitors will be hoping that the rest of their campaign goes just as smoothly, as they look to close in on an 11th title, to pull further away from Santos's tally of eight.
Since the arrival of Portuguese coach Abel Ferreira in 2020, the club from Sao Paulo have gone from strength to strength, winning two consecutive Copa Libertadores titles - the first side to do so in over 20 years - and winning the Copa do Brasil for a fourth time.
In the process, Ferreira not only became the first foreign manager to win Brazil's premier cup competition, but also the first non-South American coach to retain the Copa Libertadores in history.
The two-time holders could not go on to record a historic third consecutive title, though, losing out to Athletico Paranaense in the semi-finals at the start of the month.
Fortunately for Ferreira, his side have since bounced back in the league with two home wins, first over bottom side Juventude, and then in a feisty clash with rivals Santos, as Miguel Merentiel's second goal for the club sealed a 1-0 victory with the team down to 10 men.
With just the Brazilian top flight left to win for the former Braga manager, and with no distractions from other competitions alongside the remaining 11 league games, it looks as if it could be Palmeiras' title to lose.
Team News
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For the hosts, all eyes this week have been on both Hulk and all-action midfielder Matias Zaracho, who has not played since the start of the month. Both have been pictured in training this weekend, working with the ball, but it seems as if Hulk has needed more time with the physiotherapist, as he works on a calf injury.
Paraguayan centre-back Junior Alonso is away on national team duty, while Guilherme Arana, Igor Rabello and Pedrinho will all miss the game through injury. Full-back Rubens will also be unavailable due to a card suspension, leaving a shortage at left-back that Dodo could fill.
As for the visitors, a combination of injuries, suspensions and international call-ups means that Palmeiras will be forced into a few important changes of their own.
With goalkeeper Weverton called up to the Brazilian national side, experienced shot-stopper Marcelo Lomba will start, while captain Gustavo Gomez will likely be replaced by Luan while he is away with Paraguay.
Most worryingly, the club have lost all three of Danilo, Ze Rafael and Gabriel Menino due to suspension, after that heated win over Santos, meaning they are without their three main choices for defensive midfield roles. Barring a radical tactical shift, Colombian Eduard Atuesta and youngster Fabinho could be the two players sitting deeper in midfield.
With star player Raphael Veiga still recovering from ankle surgery, creative inspiration will be needed from the talented Gustavo Scarpa, who will be looking to help striker Rony add to his tally of nine league goals so far this campaign.
Atletico Mineiro possible starting lineup:
Everson; Dodo, Jemerson, Nathan Silva, Guga; Allan, Jair; Keno, Sasha, Fernandez; Vargas
Palmeiras possible starting lineup:
Lomba; Piquerez, Murilo, Luan, Rocha; Atuesta, Fabinho; Dudu, Tabata, Scarpa; Rony
We say: Atletico Mineiro 1-2 Palmeiras
With the hosts failing to win any of their last five home games, and the visitors unbeaten in their last fifteen away, it is hard to look past the runaway league leaders for this one.
It will not be so straightforward due to missing key players, but the quality of Gustavo Scarpa should be enough to take Palmeiras one step closer to another league title.
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