Atletico Mineiro face a mountain on Wednesday night. Beaten 2-0 by Santos in the first leg at Vila Belmiro, Eduardo Dominguez’s side must win by three goals at Arena MRV to reach the Copa Sudamericana semifinals outright. A two-goal victory forces penalties, since there is no away goals rule. Santos, unbeaten in five matches and carried by an inspired Gabriel Barbosa, can lose by one goal and still go through.
How to Watch
Atletico Mineiro vs Santos. Wednesday, September 16. Kickoff 5:00 PM CT (6:00 PM ET, 3:00 PM PT), 19:00 local time in Belo Horizonte. Arena MRV, Belo Horizonte.
USA: beIN Sports, beIN Sports en Espanol, beIN Sports Connect, beIN XTRA. Also streaming on Fubo and Fanatiz.
Latin America: ESPN, Disney+, DSports.
For the full Sudamericana season beyond this tie, see our 2026 watch guide for where to watch South American club soccer from the USA.
Recent Form
Atletico Mineiro arrive in mixed shape. Their last five matches across all competitions read two wins, one draw and two defeats, with six goals scored and six conceded. The win that matters came on Saturday, when Galo beat Fluminense 3-1 at Arena MRV. Reinier opened the scoring in the 61st minute with a drive from outside the box, Tomas Cuello doubled the lead two minutes later, and Vitao added a third from a corner in the 81st before Rodrigo Castillo pulled one back in the 90th. The result lifted Atletico from eighth to seventh in the Brasileirao and ended Fluminense’s nine-match unbeaten run. The defeat that matters came four days earlier in this tie: a 2-0 loss at Santos in which Galo managed only 42 percent possession and were kept at arm’s length. Set pieces are their clearest weapon. Two of the three goals against Fluminense arrived from dead-ball situations, with Reinier stationed on the edge of the box to attack second balls.
Santos are the hotter team. They are unbeaten in five (four wins, one draw): 2-1 over Cruzeiro, 2-0 over Atletico Mineiro, 3-2 over Internacional, 1-0 over Corinthians and 1-1 with Mirassol, scoring nine and conceding four. They were already on a nine-match unbeaten run in the Sudamericana before the first leg. In the league they sit tenth with 35 points from 26 matches, four points behind Atletico. The concern for Cuca’s side is game state, not form. Santos do not need to win in Belo Horizonte, and protecting a two-goal aggregate cushion can make even a one-goal defeat an acceptable night.
Team News
Atletico Mineiro have a fresh worry. Tomas Cuello, who scored and assisted against Fluminense, was forced off through injury in that match and is a doubt for Wednesday. Gabriel Delfim started in goal in the first leg ahead of regular starter Everson and kept the scoreline respectable with several strong saves. Reinier is the form player after his man-of-the-match performance on Saturday, while Bernard is Galo’s top scorer in this competition with three goals. Hulk leads the attack and Mateo Cassierra offers a lively option off the bench after setting up Vitao’s goal at the weekend.
Santos will again be without Neymar, who missed the first leg with a rectus femoris injury in his right thigh and watched from the stands at Vila Belmiro. Lucas Verissimo could return after recovering from pain in his right ankle and training on Monday, with Cuca set to finalise his XI after Tuesday’s session. There is better news elsewhere. Gabriel Barbosa returns after missing the league match against Cruzeiro, his parent club, and Gonzalo Escobar is available at left-back, though his role depends on whether Cuca sticks with a back three or reverts to four at the back. Everton Cebolinha is ineligible in the Sudamericana until the next round, should Santos advance. Gabigol is the key man. He has five goals in this Sudamericana, the most in the squad, and he assisted both first-leg goals: Willian Arao’s 31st-minute header, which survived a VAR offside check, and Christian Oliva’s 68th-minute finish.
Match Preview: What to Watch
The Cuca factor hangs over everything. The Santos coach won the 2013 Copa Libertadores with Atletico Mineiro and now returns to Belo Horizonte trying to eliminate his former club. The tactical picture is straightforward. Atletico must chase three goals, so their full-backs and attacking midfielders will push high and their counterpress must be perfect. That leaves exactly the spaces Santos exploited in the first leg, when Gabigol, Rony and company thrived in transition despite seeing little of the ball. Atletico’s best route runs through set pieces, where Reinier’s late arrivals and Vitao’s presence caused Fluminense real problems on Saturday. Santos, meanwhile, can defend a little deeper than usual and pick their moments, knowing a narrow defeat still sends them through. The clubs have met 83 times, with Atletico holding 33 wins to Santos’ 29. The winner faces Cienciano or Montevideo City Torque, who play their second leg on Thursday with the Peruvians leading 2-0, in one semifinal. Boca Juniors against Vasco da Gama is the other.
Prediction
Atletico Mineiro 2-1 Santos, with Santos advancing on aggregate. Galo’s home push earns a win on the night, but it falls one goal short of forcing penalties.
Atletico Mineiro face a mountain on Wednesday night. Beaten 2-0 by Santos in the first leg at Vila Belmiro, Eduardo Dominguez’s side must win by three goals at Arena MRV to reach the Copa Sudamericana semifinals outright. A two-goal victory forces penalties, since there is no away goals rule. Santos, unbeaten in five matches and carried by an inspired Gabriel Barbosa, can lose by one goal and still go through.
Atletico Mineiro face a mountain on Wednesday night. Beaten 2-0 by Santos in the first leg at Vila Belmiro, Eduardo Dominguez’s side must win by three goals at Arena MRV to reach the Copa Sudamericana semifinals outright. A two-goal victory forces penalties, since there is no away goals rule. Santos, unbeaten in five matches and carried by an inspired Gabriel Barbosa, can lose by one goal and still go through.
How to Watch
Atletico Mineiro vs Santos. Wednesday, September 16. Kickoff 5:00 PM CT (6:00 PM ET, 3:00 PM PT), 19:00 local time in Belo Horizonte. Arena MRV, Belo Horizonte.
USA: beIN Sports, beIN Sports en Espanol, beIN Sports Connect, beIN XTRA. Also streaming on Fubo and Fanatiz.
Latin America: ESPN, Disney+, DSports.
Recent Form
Atletico Mineiro arrive in mixed shape. Their last five matches across all competitions read two wins, one draw and two defeats, with six goals scored and six conceded. The win that matters came on Saturday, when Galo beat Fluminense 3-1 at Arena MRV. Reinier opened the scoring in the 61st minute with a drive from outside the box, Tomas Cuello doubled the lead two minutes later, and Vitao added a third from a corner in the 81st before Rodrigo Castillo pulled one back in the 90th. The result lifted Atletico from eighth to seventh in the Brasileirao and ended Fluminense’s nine-match unbeaten run. The defeat that matters came four days earlier in this tie: a 2-0 loss at Santos in which Galo managed only 42 percent possession and were kept at arm’s length. Set pieces are their clearest weapon. Two of the three goals against Fluminense arrived from dead-ball situations, with Reinier stationed on the edge of the box to attack second balls.
Atletico Mineiro arrive in mixed shape. Their last five matches across all competitions read two wins, one draw and two defeats, with six goals scored and six conceded. The win that matters came on Saturday, when Galo beat Fluminense 3-1 at Arena MRV. Reinier opened the scoring in the 61st minute with a drive from outside the box, Tomas Cuello doubled the lead two minutes later, and Vitao added a third from a corner in the 81st before Rodrigo Castillo pulled one back in the 90th. The result lifted Atletico from eighth to seventh in the Brasileirao and ended Fluminense’s nine-match unbeaten run. The defeat that matters came four days earlier in this tie: a 2-0 loss at Santos in which Galo managed only 42 percent possession and were kept at arm’s length. Set pieces are their clearest weapon. Two of the three goals against Fluminense arrived from dead-ball situations, with Reinier stationed on the edge of the box to attack second balls.
Santos are the hotter team. They are unbeaten in five (four wins, one draw): 2-1 over Cruzeiro, 2-0 over Atletico Mineiro, 3-2 over Internacional, 1-0 over Corinthians and 1-1 with Mirassol, scoring nine and conceding four. They were already on a nine-match unbeaten run in the Sudamericana before the first leg. In the league they sit tenth with 35 points from 26 matches, four points behind Atletico. The concern for Cuca’s side is game state, not form. Santos do not need to win in Belo Horizonte, and protecting a two-goal aggregate cushion can make even a one-goal defeat an acceptable night.
Santos are the hotter team. They are unbeaten in five (four wins, one draw): 2-1 over Cruzeiro, 2-0 over Atletico Mineiro, 3-2 over Internacional, 1-0 over Corinthians and 1-1 with Mirassol, scoring nine and conceding four. They were already on a nine-match unbeaten run in the Sudamericana before the first leg. In the league they sit tenth with 35 points from 26 matches, four points behind Atletico. The concern for Cuca’s side is game state, not form. Santos do not need to win in Belo Horizonte, and protecting a two- goal aggregate cushion can make even a one-goal defeat an acceptable night.
Team News
Atletico Mineiro have a fresh worry. Tomas Cuello, who scored and assisted against Fluminense, was forced off through injury in that match and is a doubt for Wednesday. Gabriel Delfim started in goal in the first leg ahead of regular starter Everson and kept the scoreline respectable with several strong saves. Reinier is the form player after his man-of-the-match performance on Saturday, while Bernard is Galo’s top scorer in this competition with three goals. Hulk leads the attack and Mateo Cassierra offers a lively option off the bench after setting up Vitao’s goal at the weekend.
Atletico Mineiro have a fresh worry. Tomas Cuello, who scored and assisted against Fluminense, was forced off through injury in that match and is a doubt for Wednesday. Gabriel Delfim started in goal in the first leg ahead of regular starter Everson and kept the scoreline respectable with several strong saves. Reinier is the form player after his man-of-the-match performance on Saturday, while Bernard is Galo’s top scorer in this competition with three goals. Hulk leads the attack and Mateo Cassierra offers a lively option off the bench after setting up Vitao’s goal at the weekend.
Santos will again be without Neymar, who missed the first leg with a rectus femoris injury in his right thigh and watched from the stands at Vila Belmiro. Lucas Verissimo could return after recovering from pain in his right ankle and training on Monday, with Cuca set to finalise his XI after Tuesday’s session. There is better news elsewhere. Gabriel Barbosa returns after missing the league match against Cruzeiro, his parent club, and Gonzalo Escobar is available at left-back, though his role depends on whether Cuca sticks with a back three or reverts to four at the back. Everton Cebolinha is ineligible in the Sudamericana until the next round, should Santos advance. Gabigol is the key man. He has five goals in this Sudamericana, the most in the squad, and he assisted both first-leg goals: Willian Arao’s 31st-minute header, which survived a VAR offside check, and Christian Oliva’s 68th-minute finish.
Santos will again be without Neymar, who missed the first leg with a rectus femoris injury in his right thigh and watched from the stands at Vila Belmiro. Lucas Verissimo could return after recovering from pain in his right ankle and training on Monday, with Cuca set to finalise his XI after Tuesday’s session. There is better news elsewhere. Gabriel Barbosa returns after missing the league match against Cruzeiro, his parent club, and Gonzalo Escobar is available at left-back, though his role depends on whether Cuca sticks with a back three or reverts to four at the back. Everton Cebolinha is ineligible in the Sudamericana until the next round, should Santos advance. Gabigol is the key man. He has five goals in this Sudamericana, the most in the squad, and he assisted both first-leg goals: Willian Arao’s 31st-minute header, which survived a VAR offside check, and Christian Oliva’s 68th-minute finish.
Match Preview: What to Watch
The Cuca factor hangs over everything. The Santos coach won the 2013 Copa Libertadores with Atletico Mineiro and now returns to Belo Horizonte trying to eliminate his former club. The tactical picture is straightforward. Atletico must chase three goals, so their full-backs and attacking midfielders will push high and their counterpress must be perfect. That leaves exactly the spaces Santos exploited in the first leg, when Gabigol, Rony and company thrived in transition despite seeing little of the ball. Atletico’s best route runs through set pieces, where Reinier’s late arrivals and Vitao’s presence caused Fluminense real problems on Saturday. Santos, meanwhile, can defend a little deeper than usual and pick their moments, knowing a narrow defeat still sends them through. The clubs have met 83 times, with Atletico holding 33 wins to Santos’ 29. The winner faces Cienciano or Montevideo City Torque, who play their second leg on Thursday with the Peruvians leading 2-0, in one semifinal. Boca Juniors against Vasco da Gama is the other.
The Cuca factor hangs over everything. The Santos coach won the 2013 Copa Libertadores with Atletico Mineiro and now returns to Belo Horizonte trying to eliminate his former club. The tactical picture is straightforward. Atletico must chase three goals, so their full-backs and attacking midfielders will push high and their counterpress must be perfect. That leaves exactly the spaces Santos exploited in the first leg, when Gabigol, Rony and company thrived in transition despite seeing little of the ball. Atletico’s best route runs through set pieces, where Reinier’s late arrivals and Vitao’s presence caused Fluminense real problems on Saturday. Santos, meanwhile, can defend a little deeper than usual and pick their moments, knowing a narrow defeat still sends them through. The clubs have met 83 times, with Atletico holding 33 wins to Santos’ 29. The winner faces Cienciano or Montevideo City Torque, who play their second leg on Thursday with the Peruvians leading 2-0, in one semifinal. Boca Juniors against Vasco da Gama is the other.
Prediction
Atletico Mineiro 2-1 Santos, with Santos advancing on aggregate. Galo’s home push earns a win on the night, but it falls one goal short of forcing penalties.
