The two Copa Libertadores title favorites will meet in the semifinals in the Atletico Mineiro vs Newell’s Old Boys match this Wednesday, July 3, 2013 (5:30 PM PST) at the Estadio Marcelo Bielsa in Argentina. In this match between teams from two soccer rival countries, Atletico Mineiro and Newell’s will look to find the win in the first-leg which could determine who qualifies into the final.
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Newell’s Old Boys has defeated Atletico Mineiro by a final score of 2-0. Goals scored by Maxi Rodriguez (61′) and Ignacio Scocco (80′). This 2-0 gives Newell’s a huge advantage going into the return leg.
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The Atletico Mineiro vs Newell’s match will be in an intense and beautiful soccer stadium atmosphere. Newell’s has defeated difficult Argentine rivals (Velez Sarsfield and Boca Juniors) in their past two phases, and on Wednesday they will face who is considered the tournament’s title favorite. However, Newell’s will be no easy task for Atletico Mineiro either, as the team from Rosario was recently crowned Argentine league champions.
Newell’s reached the semifinals after finishing 2nd in Group 7; right behind Olimpia who is now a step from the final after defeating Independiente Santa Fe in the other semifinal. After the group stages, Newell’s defeated Velez Sarsfield in the round-of-16 and eliminated Boca Juniors in penalty kicks in the quarterfinals after a 0-0 aggregate score. In front they will have no easy rival, as they face the tournament’s top offense which has scored 25 goals.
Atletico Mineiro is expected to reach the final, and they are favorites to win the tournament. This is a team that was superior over all of its rivals up until the last stage, when they faced Xolos of Tijuana. Against Xolos, they were never ahead in the score and almost lost, but a missed penalty by Xolos forward Duvier Riascos in the last minute allowed for their victory. Nonetheless, the Brazilian squad has played wonderfully throughout the Libertadores, and has quality star players throughout their lineup like Ronaldinho, Jo, and Bernard.
The second-leg match will be played at the Estadio Mineirao this June 10. The winner of this semifinal will play in the final against the winner of the Olimpia vs Santa Fe series.
Atletico Mineiro vs Newell’s Old Boys Prediction
The match between Atletico Mineiro and Newell’s will be a great spectacle. This will be a competition between two great fan-bases, but most importantly, between Argentinians and Brazilians. Both squads play offensively, and both are favorites to win the title if they were to win this series.
The winner of Wednesday’s match will have to play very intelligently, aggressively, and without room for any mistakes. Newell’s needs to play like the team that won their domestic league, while Atletico Mineiro will need to learn how to exploit Ronaldinho’s talent; opposite of what they did against Xolos. The first leg will be the determining score for the semifinals, and the Brazilian squad will move on into the final. The Atletico Mineiro vs Newell’s match will end 2-1 in favor of the team from Belo Horizonte.
Atletico Mineiro vs Newell’s Old Boys Television
The Atletico Mineiro vs Newell’s Old Boys Copa Libertadores semifinals match will be televised this Wednesday, July 3, 2013 on Fox Deportes at 5:30 PM Pacific.
