Simon Dalton presents his prediction for the CONMEBOL Sudamericana match.
Atlético Bucaramanga effectively gave away the initiative in the first leg played on home turf. Now, Atlético Bucaramanga must overturn a slender deficit on the road, facing a far more hostile environment.
Atlético Mineiro
Atlético Mineiro looked the more composed of the two teams in the first leg, even after Alan Franco was sent off in the 52nd minute. Many might have expected the team to falter without their central midfielder, yet it was with ten men that they found the only goal of the match. Before scoring, Atlético Mineiro had already shifted into a counter-attacking setup, a tactic that only intensified after going a man down.
Atlético Bucaramanga
The defeat for Atlético Bucaramanga can largely be attributed to a combination of Igor Gómez’s pace and poor judgement from Jefferson Mena, who fouled his opponent inside the penalty area. It raises doubts about the wisdom of relying on a 36-year-old, even if he is the captain, to marshal the defence. Givanildo Vieira de Souza confidently dispatched the resulting penalty. However, that wasn’t the only issue contributing to the loss. The squad also lacked cutting edge in the final third. Despite firing 21 shots and testing the goalkeeper eight times, only one attempt truly threatened the goal.
Atlético Mineiro vs Atlético Bucaramanga Prediction
Atlético Mineiro are expected to approach the second leg with far greater attacking intent, particularly given their strong recent form at Arena MRV, where they have won four of their last six games, scoring at least twice in each of those victories. This prediction follows the same rationale.
