Two teams at the opposite ends of the Serie A league table will compete on Wednesday as table-toppers Atletico Mineiro will welcome Santos to the Estadio Mineirao.

The visitors sit just two points above the relegation zone and have a need to extend their two-game undefeated streak.

Match preview

Atletico Mineiro coach Cuca reacts on August 23, 2021 © Reuters

Atletico Mineiro have been dominant within the Brasileiro this season, having only lost three games as they sit at the top of the table with a comfortable 11-point gap to the chasing pack.

They shall be aiming to keep that distance between themselves and Flamengo this week when they play Santos, which will be another game that Cuca expects to win.

Hulk got himself on the scoresheet twice on Sunday when they hosted Ceara, with Diego Costa replacing him in the second half and adding another goal to wrap up a 3-1 victory.

It is now 16 games without a defeat for Atletico Mineiro, who have been a cut above everybody this season with their attacking dominance being matched by their strong defensive displays.

No team have conceded fewer goals than them within this campaign, and considering the fact that Santos are one of the lowest scoring teams, they will no doubt be hoping to add another clean sheet to their records on Wednesday.

Santos' Angelo Gabriel celebrates scoring their fifth goal with teammates on May 4, 2021 © Reuters

The club have not won a Brazilian Serie A title since 1971, but they are edging closer to making history with every passing game, and another three points would go a long way to helping achieve that goal.

On the other hand, the visitors are thinking about anything but lifting a title as they hover above the relegation zone, sitting in 16th place with just two points keeping them above water.

It has been a difficult season for Santos, who have won just six games in the league, but they have improved their form as of late, with only one defeat in their last five matches.

The problem has been picking up victories, as three of those fixtures have resulted in draws, which have ultimately stopped them from climbing up the division and away from danger.

However, their most recent performance did lead to a win as Santos defeated Gremio in what was a true six-pointer between two teams down near the foot of the table.

Fabio Carille's men left it late to secure the three points, though, with the winning goal coming in the 92nd minute as full-back Wagner Leonardo popped up with a crucial finish.

Despite the huge differences in the league between the two teams, it was actually Santos who were victorious when they met earlier on this season, which is a result they would be more than happy to repeat.

Goals from Jean Mota and Marcos Guilherme helped them gain a 2-0 victory, which is something that Atletico Mineiro will be very aware of.

Atletico Mineiro Brasileiro form:

Atletico Mineiro form (all competitions):

Santos Brasileiro form:

Santos form (all competitions):

Team News

Atletico Mineiro's Hulk celebrates scoring their third goal on May 26, 2021 © Reuters

Costa returned from injury with a bang at the weekend as he found the back of the net, which will provide Cuca with a difficult choice to make in who leads the line between him and Hulk.

Atletico Mineiro will still be missing both Eduardo Vargas and Mariano due to injuries, but following a strong performance at the weekend, there could be an unchanged lineup being named.

There will also be several players missing due to international matches taking place, with Alan Franco, Junior Alonso and Guilherme Arana having all been called up to their respective nations.

The visitors have plenty of injuries at the moment, which is only adding to their misery, with Kaiky Melo, Luiz Felipe and Robson all unavailable.

However, Santos were able to welcome back Madson at the weekend when he appeared from the bench during the game as he attempts to get back to full match sharpness.

Atletico Mineiro possible starting lineup:
Everson; Guga, Silva, Rever, Dodo; Allan, Jair; Borrero, Zaracho, Keno; Hulk

Santos possible starting lineup:
Paulo; Balieiro, Velazquez, Leonardo; Braga, Zanocelo, Camacho, Guilherme, Sanchez; Marinho, Baptistao

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We say: Atletico Mineiro 4-0 Santos

This is the type of game that Atletico Mineiro will be expecting to win if they want to lift the title at the end of the season, and they will likely do it in a dominant fashion.

The league leaders head into this one with immense confidence, while Santos continue to struggle, and the attacking qualities of the hosts should be far too much on this occasion.

Top tip

Our expert tipster partners at Sporita.com are predicting under 3.5 goals in this match. Click here to find out what else they are predicting for this game and for more of their tried-and-tested football tips.

Data Analysis

Our analysis of all available data, including recent performances and player stats up until an hour before kickoff, suggested the most likely outcome of this match was a Atletico Mineiro win with a probability of 59.85%. A draw had a probability of 23.9% and a win for Santos had a probability of 16.2%.

The most likely scoreline for an Atletico Mineiro win was 1-0 with a probability of 14.99%. The next most likely scorelines for that outcome were 2-0 (12.56%) and 2-1 (9.27%). The likeliest drawn scoreline was 1-1 (11.06%), while for a Santos win it was 0-1 (6.6%). The actual scoreline of 3-1 was predicted with a 5.2% likelihood. Our data analysis correctly predicted that Atletico Mineiro would win this match.