Atlético-MG and Bahia return to the Campeonato Brasileiro on Tuesday at 19:30, and the matchup at Arena MRV closes the first turn for both clubs. It is a game with table weight on both sides: Atlético-MG starts from 11th place with 24 points, while Bahia arrives in sixth with 29 and still chasing a place in the G-4.
That is why the search for Atlético Mineiro vs Bahia is live now. The match comes after the break, when Atlético-MG used its days without official games for a mini pre-season at Cidade do Galo and tested itself twice, beating the sub-20 team and Betim. Bahia, meanwhile, kept its push alive by beating Chapecoense at home in a postponed match from the fourth round, and now wants to finish the first turn inside the G-4.
Eduardo Domínguez does not plan to rebuild Atlético-MG from scratch. The expected base holds, with Lyanco set to step in for Júnior Alonso in defense, Cissé and Maycon likely as the shield in front of the back line, and Bernard, Victor Hugo, Cassierra and Cuello expected in attack. The missing pieces are still meaningful: Iván Roman is suspended, Léo Duarte, Patrick and Índio are injured, while Preciado and Alan Minda remain doubts after returning later from the Copa. Tomás Pérez and Lodi are also on warning, so the margin for error is thin.
Rogério Ceni has a different kind of question to solve. He is expected to keep almost all of the team that beat Chapecoense, but one spot remains open at right back, where Marcos Victor and Roman Gomez are competing for the start. Bahia also has to deal with Luciano Juba’s suspension, Léo Vieira’s injury and unfinished registration work for Alejo Veliz and Marco Moreno, while Guido Herrera was the only new signing registered on the eve of the match. Ronaldo, David Duarte, Kanu, Jean Lucas, Ademir, Erick Pulga and Everaldo are all one booking from trouble.
Braulio da Silva Machado will referee the game, which will be shown by Sportv and Premiere and followed in real time by ge. For Atlético-MG, the night is about protecting a team base that has been worked carefully through the break; for Bahia, it is about turning a strong first half into a finish that keeps the G-4 within reach. The answer begins at 19:30, and the right-back choice may say as much about Ceni’s plans as the result itself.
