Preview: Fluminense vs. Atletico Mineiro - prediction, team news, lineups

The hosts have lost consecutive fixtures heading into this encounter, and while they are currently midtable, the club are also just two points above the relegation zone.

Match preview

Fluminense sit 11th in the Brasileiro right now, with the club having had a mixed start to the season following their opening nine matches in the league.

So far they have won three times, drawn twice, and been defeated in four games, with two of those taking place in their most recent outings before this week.

Fluminense were beaten by Flamengo 2-1, and they followed that up with a 1-0 loss against Juventude this past Sunday as an own goal from Luccas Claro proved to be the difference.

Each of those matches saw Fernando Diniz witness a member of his squad get sent off as Nonato and David Braz were not able to finish their matches.

Fluminense have only won a single match at home so far this season though, which is something that they will now need to improve on as the campaign continues.

Atletico Mineiro have been struggling on the road lately as well early on in the Brasileiro with just one victory to this point as they have struggled defensively.

The squad have conceded seven times away from home, which has led to problems for them in terms of picking up the right results.

Despite that, Antonio Mohamed are in good form right now as they are undefeated in their previous four encounters in the league, which has helped them to climb the table.

Mineiro find themselves fifth right now, and a victory has the potential of seeing them climb into second place depending on other results.

Their most recent outing saw an improved defensive performance, as Everson was able to keep a clean sheet, yet they were not able to find the back of the net themselves, which led to a goalless draw.

Fluminense Brasileiro form:

Fluminense form (all competitions):

Atletico Mineiro Brasileiro form:

Atletico Mineiro form (all competitions):

Team News

Fluminense will be missing both Nonato and Braz due to their recent red cards, which means there will need to be some tweaks made to the starting lineup for this match.

Willian and Luiz Henrique should provide the width for the hosts on Thursday, while German Cano could be trusted once again to lead the attack on his own.

Matias Zaracho and Eduardo Vargas are both unavailable at the moment for Atletico Mineiro as they are dealing with muscular problems, while Keno has also missed the previous five outings.

Everson will be hoping to pick up another clean sheet in this one, while Hulk will provide experience for the squad as the frontman.

Fluminense possible starting lineup:

Fabio; Xavier, Manoel, Claro, Paulisto; Andre, Wellington; Willian, Henrique, Ganso; Cano

Atletico Mineiro possible starting lineup:

Everson; Rubens, Alonso, Natan, Mariano; Jail, Allan; Sasha, Fernandez, Ademir; Hulk

We say: Fluminense 1-2 Atletico Mineiro

Fluminense have the benefit of playing at home in this match, but they have not been as strong throughout the early parts of this season as their opponents.

Atletico Mineiro are expected to be in the title hunt by the end of the campaign, therefore they head into this as favourites, and should be strong enough to take all three points.

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