Simon Dalton presents his prediction for the Copa Sudamericana match.
Lanús will face Atlético Mineiro in the Copa Sudamericana final – a battle for the trophy between one of the leaders of the Argentine Primera Division and a side stuck in mid‑table in the Brazilian Serie A.
Lanús
Lanús reached the final by beating Club Universidad de Chile (3:2 on aggregate) and are currently second in Group B of the Argentine Primera Division with 30 points (nine wins, three draws, four defeats). In the CONMEBOL Sudamericana, the team have lost only one match, 0:1 against Central Córdoba, and in the rest have been pragmatic and well organised (six wins and five draws). Over the whole tournament, Lanús have conceded only eight goals but scored 15 in 12 games. They were particularly solid in the knockout rounds, keeping three clean sheets.
Atlético Mineiro
Atlético Mineiro got past Independiente del Valle (4:2 on aggregate), but in the Brazilian Serie A they are only 10th with 44 points (11 wins, 11 draws, 12 defeats). In the CONMEBOL Sudamericana group stage, the team qualified only as runners-up, winning just two of their six matches. In the knockout rounds they started brightly with two wins, but then alternated victories with draws, and in four of those six games they conceded at least one goal.
Lanús vs Atlético Mineiro Prediction
Lanús have reached the Copa Sudamericana final in confident fashion and have an excellent chance of winning the trophy, especially as their opponents are Atlético Mineiro, who struggled to get out of their group and are stuck in mid‑table in their domestic league.
