Alianza Lima set out to pick up their first home win of the 2023 Copa Libertadores campaign when they welcome Atletico Mineiro to the Alejandro Villanueva Stadium on Tuesday evening.
The Peruvian outfit, who are making their 29th appearance at the continental showpiece, have picked up just one point from their two home games and are currently rooted to the bottom of Group G.
Match preview
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After a solid start to their Copa Libertadores campaign, Alianza Lima's dreams of reaching the knockout stages of the continental competition now hang in the balance.
Los Blanquiazules played out an opening-day goalless draw with Brazilian side Athletico Paranaense on April 4, two weeks before claiming a 2-1 victory over Libertad at the Estadio Tigo La Huerta.
However, they failed to build on that result as they suffered defeats in their two subsequent outings, losing 2-0 against Paranaense on May 4 before falling to a 2-1 home loss against Libertad on May 24.
With four points from their four Group G matches, Alianza Lima are currently rooted to the bottom of the table but could move level with first-placed Athletico Paranaense with all three points on Wednesday.
However, Guillermo Salas's men have struggled for form in recent weeks, losing three of their last four matches across all competitions, including a 2-1 loss to Asociacion Deportiva Tarma in the Chilean top flight on Saturday.
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Atletico Mineiro, on the other hand, have got their race for a second Copa Libertadores title back on track in recent weeks after what was a rough start to the group stages.
After an unbeaten qualifying journey, the Galo kicked off their campaign with two back-to-back defeats, losing out to Libertad and Athletico Paranaense in their first two matches.
Atletico Mineiro made it two wins from two group matches on May 23, when they edged out Paranaese in an all-Brazilian affair, courtesy of a second-half brace from Paulinho.
This followed a 2-0 victory over Wednesday's hosts in May's reverse fixture, when former Sao Paulo midfielder Igor Gomes struck twice at Arena MRV to hand the hosts their first win in Group G.
Eduardo Coudet's men are currently second in the group standings, level on six points with third-placed Libertad and one point behind first-placed Paranaense heading into the final two matches.
Back home, Atletico Mineiro bounced back from their Copa de Brasil exit on Saturday when they picked up a 1-0 victory over Cruzeiro at the Estadio Mineirao to move into second place in the Serie A table.
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Team News
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Alianza Lima remain without the duo of Cristian Benavente and former Boca Juniors man Gino Peruzzi, who have both been sidelined through knee injuries.
Experienced goalkeeper Angelo Campos has missed the last seven matches after coming off with a muscle problem back in May and will play no part in Wednesday's contest.
Andres Andrade, who joined the Peruvian side in January, is also set to sit out his fifth consecutive game after rupturing his outer meniscus against Deportivo Municipal on May 16.
Igor Cabello and Alan Kardec are yet to feature for Atletico Mineiro this year as they continue their long spells on the sidelines through back and ACL injuries respectively.
Pedrinho suffered a tendon injury back in April and is out of contention for the visitors, while former Frankfurt midfielder Allan is currently recuperating from a muscle injury.
Alianza Lima possible starting lineup:
Saravia; Zambrano, Garcia, Vilchez, Lagos; Ballon, Lavandeira, Reyna, Castillo, Zanelatto; Sabbag
Atletico Mineiro possible starting lineup:
Everson; Mariano, Silva, Jemerson, Rubens; Zaracho, Battaglia, Hyoran, Pavon; Hulk, Paulinho
We say: Alianza Lima 1-2 Atletico Mineiro
Buoyed by their victory at the weekend, Atletico Mineiro will head into Wednesday with sky-high morale as they look to make it three wins on the bounce in Group G. Alianza Lima's current form and home record makes Coudet's men favourites and we fancy them picking up all three points.
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