Cruzeiro hosts Boca Juniors on Tuesday at 21h30 Brasília time at the Mineirão in Belo Horizonte in a match that could reshape the third round of the Conmebol Libertadores group stage. and Disney+ will carry the game, while ge will provide live coverage.
The timing matters because Cruzeiro arrives with momentum in Brazil but under pressure in South America. The Belo Horizonte club has won its last three matches in the Brazilian league, yet it also lost at home to Universidad Católica at the Mineirão and dropped to third place in the group after that result.
Boca comes in as the only team in the group with 100% of the points so far. It has taken two wins in two Libertadores matches and has gone 14 matches without defeat overall. The last time Boca lost was in February, against Vélez Sarsfield in the Argentine championship, a run that has given the squad a steadier look than the one that stumbled earlier in the year.
That form has not stopped Cláudio Úbeda from rotating. Leandro Brey and Milton Delgado played the full 90 minutes in Friday’s 3-0 win over Defensa y Justicia, while several regulars were rested. Boca will still arrive in Belo Horizonte with absences in attack and midfield, including Agustín Marchesín, Ander Herrera, Edinson Cavani and Carlos Palacios, all listed out through the medical department.
Cruzeiro also has issues to manage. Fagner and Neyser Villarreal were rested against Remo because of physical wear, and Fabrício Bruno, Matheus Pereira and Lucas Silva missed that same match while serving suspensions in the Brazilian league. João Marcelo, Kauã Moraes and Bruno Rodrigues are available again and can be used from the bench, but Cássio and Marquinhos remain out injured. Matheus Henrique is on a yellow-card warning.
The teams are expected to lean on familiar names if the lineups hold. Cruzeiro’s probable side includes Matheus Cunha, Fagner, Fabrício Bruno, Jonathan, Kaiki, Lucas Romero, Gerson, Matheus Pereira, Christian, Arroyo and Kaio Jorge. Boca’s projected lineup includes Leandro Brey, Weigandt, Di Lollo, Ayrton Costa, Lautaro Blanco, Ascacibar, Milton Delgado, Leandro Paredes, Tomás Aranda, Merentiel and Adam Bareiro.
Uruguayan referee Esteban Ostojich will oversee the match, with Nicolas Tarán and Andres Nievas as assistants, Andres Cunha on VAR and Yender Herrera of Venezuela as fourth official. For Cruzeiro, the question is whether domestic form can finally travel with the team into the Libertadores after the home loss to Universidad Católica. Boca, unbeaten for months and perfect in the group, has already built the margin that makes a road point in Belo Horizonte feel like another step forward.
