The semi-finals of 2024 Copa Libertadores Start on Tuesday when Atletico Mineiro Welcome River Plate against Arena MRV in the first leg of this tie.

In the round of 16, Galo defeated reigning champions Fluminense 2-1 on aggregate, while the Argentines won their clash with Colo-Colo by the same aggregate score.

Game preview

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Playing in front of home fans has proven to be a huge advantage for Mineiro in this competition, with the Belo Horizonte side boasting a 100 percent record against the Libertadores at Arena MRV this year.

Two second-half goals in the second game against Fluzao were enough to overturn the 1-0 deficit from the first leg, as they have won three consecutive home games without conceding a goal in this tournament.

Gabriel MilitoBrazil’s men will enter the competition on the back of a five-game unbeaten streak across all competitions and will advance to the Copa do Brasil final this weekend against Vasco da Gama (3-2 on aggregate).

This is the first time Galo has reached the Libertadores’ semifinals since 2021, when they drew both games against Palmeiras and were eliminated on away goals.

Atletico have never lost a semi-final game against the Libertadores on home soil in regular time, defeating Newell’s Old Boys at this point in 2013 and playing to a 1-1 draw against Palmeiras in 2021.

Galo has won three of his four matches against River Plate in the competition, including the two home games against River Plate by an aggregate margin of 4-0.

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For the first time in four years, River Plate is back in the Copa Libertadores Final Four and has a 100 percent home record in the tournament this season.

Marcelo GallardoThe Barcelona side are undefeated in the competition this year and have only failed to win two of their ten games in the tournament so far.

The Argentines have emerged victorious in two of their previous three semi-final away games with the Libertadores, including their last appearance at this stage of the competition in 2020 against Palmeiras (2-0).

Since beating Colo-Colo 1-0 in the second quarter-final game, River Plate have remained winless in three consecutive games in all competitions and were held to a 1-1 domestic draw against Velez Sarsfield on Friday.

River Plate have not trailed the Libertadores by a single second this year and have not lost a single competitive game since July against Godoy Cruz in the Argentine Primera Division season (2-1) by scoring the first goal.

Los Millonarios have won four games in this tournament in regular time on Brazilian soil, most recently in the semi-final against Palmeiras in 2020 (2-0).

Atletico Mineiro Copa Libertadores Form:

Atlético Mineiro form (all competitions):

River Plate Copa Libertadores form:

River Plate form (all competitions):

Team news

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Mineiro will be without Matias Zaracho for another encounter while he recovers from a hernia problem Bernard And Cadu Knee injuries are unlikely to occur.

Deyverson scored a brace in the second leg win against Fluminense Everson Didn’t have to make a single stop to score a goal.

On the side of the River Plate, Too bad, Martinez may miss this game due to ACL issue, Rodrigo Aliendro has a sore shoulder and Agustin Sant’Anna continues to recover from a knee injury.

Facundo Colidio scored the only goal in the final game of the Copa Libertadores and was captain Franco Armani made two stops to secure the shutout.

Possible starting lineup for Atlético Mineiro:
Everson; Lyanco, Battaglia, Alonso; Scarpa, Franco, Vera, Arana; Bernard; Deyverson, Hulk

Possible River Plate starting lineup:
Armani; Bustos, Pezzella, Gonzalez Pirez, Acuna; Lanzini, Bareiro, Fernandez; Meza, Borja, Colidio

We say: Atletico Mineiro 1-1 River Plate

This looks like a pretty even game and we expect the first leg to be that way between two strong defensive units, but no one with a decisive advantage.

For data analysis of the most likely outcomes, scores and more for this game, please click here.

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