Atlético-MG host Cruzeiro at Arena MRV with cup legs and Libertadores on the line
Atlético-MG host Cruzeiro at Arena MRV at 19:30 Brasília time — 23:30 WAT — in Brasileirão matchday 33, with Domínguez managing Copa do Brasil semi fatigue and Cruzeiro chasing a Libertadores place from third.
By Emily · 29 Oct 2026, 09:35 WAT
Atlético Mineiro host Cruzeiro at Arena MRV in Belo Horizonte on Thursday 29 October in Brasileirão Série A matchday 33. Kick-off is 19:30 local time in Brazil, which is 23:30 West Africa Time, according to ESPN's match centre and ge.globo's preview package.
Cruzeiro sit third on 54 points from 32 matches (16 wins, 6 draws, 10 defeats). Atlético-MG are seventh on 50 points from 32 (14-8-10), ge.globo's live classification and ESPN's table both show. Flamengo and Palmeiras lead on 70 points. For Cruzeiro the night is a Libertadores qualification chase after a turbulent September; for Atlético it is a clássico squeezed between league duty and a Copa do Brasil semi-final.
Portuguese coach Artur Jorge has taken Cruzeiro from the bottom of the table after replacing Tite to third, collecting 50 of 72 available points since the ninth round — a 69.4 percent haul ge.globo compared with his title-winning Botafogo spell. The side were eliminated by Atlético-MG in the Copa do Brasil quarter-finals in September (1-1 at the Mineirão, then defeat at Arena MRV), a result that ge.globo said opened a stretch of fan protests and board apologies even as league form recovered.
Atlético coach Eduardo Domínguez is managing a congested week. The Galo face Grêmio in the Copa do Brasil semi-finals at the weekend, and captain Fred told RomárioTV that cup tie carries more seasonal weight than the clássico even while insisting the squad will still push for the three points. Domínguez rested players in Monday's league meeting with Flamengo; ge.globo reports the same rotation trend is likely against Cruzeiro, with Renan Lodi and Bernard among those who may start on the bench after full shifts, opening doors for Pascini, Igor Gomes, Castaño and Reinier.
Medical and selection notes favour caution. Ruan Tressoldi, Fred, Cassierra, Thiago Borbas and Tomás Cuello remain in the treatment room, ge.globo's team-news report said. Centre-back Vitor Hugo is suspended after a third yellow card, leaving Vitão and Lyanco as the likely central pair. Goalkeeper Everson has been cleared by the medical staff but has not been named in the last two matchday squads; Delfim remains the first choice, with Everson's involvement the main open question ahead of kick-off.
TuSport will report the result once it is confirmed. Until then the desk angle for readers following Brazilian football from West Africa is clear: Cruzeiro need the clássico to keep third place and the Libertadores path warm after the Galo knocked them out of the cup; Atlético must balance three league points against preserving legs for Grêmio — with Everson's availability still unresolved as of the final team-news reports.
Sources: www.espn.com · ge.globo.com · ge.globo.com · ge.globo.com · ge.globo.com
