Atlético-MG and Juventud de las Piedras meet Thursday at 19:00 Brasília time at Arena MRV in Belo Horizonte in the second round of the Conmebol Sudamericana group stage, with both sides already feeling the pressure of an early stumble. Atlético-MG opened with a 2-1 loss to Puerto Cabello in Valencia, Venezuela, while Juventud began its campaign with a 1-1 draw against Cienciano in Montevideo.
For Atlético-MG, the immediate task is simple: avoid another setback at home after a 1-0 loss to Santos in the Campeonato Brasileiro. The club has not lost at Arena MRV in 2026, and it is expected to turn back to its starters after fielding reserves in the opener. Patrick, Índio and Alan Minda are out with knee and thigh injuries, so the lineup will be shaped as much by absences as by intention.
The match matters because the Sudamericana table offers little margin. Only the first-place team advances directly to the round of 16, while second place must go through the playoffs. That makes Thursday’s result more than an early group game for Atlético-MG, which is trying to recover from its first defeat of the competition and avoid handing momentum to a visitor that is also chasing stability.
Juventud arrives in Belo Horizonte with a league record that shows why the club remains under scrutiny. It is second to last in the Uruguayan league with seven points from 11 matches, a run built on one win, one draw and eight losses. Sergio Blanco took over after Sebastián Méndez was dismissed when the team fell out in the third phase of the Conmebol Copa Libertadores, and the side did at least respond last week by beating Progreso 1-0 after its Sudamericana draw.
There is also a name recognition gap in the visitors’ squad that makes the meeting more complicated than the table suggests. Martín Cáceres is injured and will not play, leaving Juventud without a defender who won the Champions League with Barcelona and six Italian league titles with Juventus. Sebastián Sosa, who played in the 2022 World Cup, is part of the group, and Emmanuel Más, a Libertadores winner with San Lorenzo, brings another veteran credential. Up front, Fernando Mimbacas leads Juventud this season with four goals.
That mix of experience and poor form leaves the game hanging on execution rather than reputation. Atlético-MG has the stronger position on paper, especially at a venue where it has stayed unbeaten this year, but its own recent results show how quickly control can slip away. and Disney+ will broadcast the match, and for both clubs the question is not whether Thursday matters — it is whether either can afford another wasted night in a group that punishes slow starts.