River Plate will square off against Atletico Mineiro in the first leg of their Copa Libertadores quarter-final clash on Thursday.
River Plate are coming off a 2-1 loss to Godoy Cruz in the Argentine Primera Division. Martin Ojeda struck a brace for the hosts, while Julian Alvarez scored the only goal for River Plate.
River Plate are 12th in the league table with seven points from five matches played. They have won two, drawn one, and lost two games so far.
Meanwhile, Atletico Mineiro won their last game 2-1 away from home against Juventude in a Brasileiro Serie A match. Nathan Silva scored a dramatic late winner for Mineiro, who moved into top spot in the standings with the win.
River Plate vs Atletico Mineiro Head-to-Head
It will be the first meeting between River Plate and Atletico Mineiro.
River Plate form guide (all competitions): W-W-D-L-L
Atletico Mineiro form guide (all competitions): W-W-W-L-W
River Plate vs Atletico Mineiro Team News
River Plate
Javier Pinola has been sidelined with a forearm fracture and David Martinez is expected to fill in for him at centre-back. Agustin Fontana, Robert Rojas and Matias Suarez remain on the treatment table.
River Plate have all other players available for the clash.
Injured: Javier Pinola, Agustin Fontana, Robert Rojas, Matias Suarez
Doubtful: None
Suspended: None
Atletico Mineiro
Matias Zaracho has been ruled out with an abductor muscle tear. Guilherme Arana has been given a few days off after his successful 2020 Tokyo Olympics campaign with the Brazilian national team. All other players will be available for selection.
Injured: Matias Zaracho
Doubtful: None
Suspended: None
Unavailable: Guilherme Arana
River Plate vs Atletico Mineiro predicted XI
River Plate Predicted XI (4-1-3-2): Franco Armani; Gonzalo Montiel, Paulo Díaz, Héctor Martínez, Fabrizio Angileri; Enzo Pérez; Nicolás De la Cruz, Bruno Zuculini, José Paradela; Julián Álvarez, Braian Romero
Atletico Mineiro Predicted XI (4-2-3-1): Everson; Junior Alonso, Rever, Nathan, Mariano; Allan, Tche Tche; Vargas, Ignacio Fernandez, Jefferson Savarino; Hulk
River Plate vs Atletico Mineiro prediction
River Plate and Atletico Mineiro are likely to take a cautious approach in the first leg, which might result in a low-scoring affair.
River Plate's recent form has been shaky, and there is a good probability the Brazilians will manage to eke out a win by a narrow margin.
Prediction: River Plate 0-1 Atletico Mineiro