Author: Soorya G
The Brazilian Football Confederation (CBF) announced on Monday the details of the 21st round of the Brazilian Championship. On this occasion, Atlético-MG will face Santos at home on August 27 in a mouth-watering clash between two titans of Brazilian soccer. The Minas Gerais side are looking at the game against Santos as the perfect opportunity to inaugurate their newly-built stadium, the MRV Arena, in Belo Horizonte.
According to the schedule officially released by the Brazilian Football Federation, the match is scheduled to take place at the Mineirão Stadium, which has been Atlético Mineiro’s home since 1965. However, Galo are making every effort to ensure that the MRV Arena is fully ready to host Santos at the end of the month.
Some setbacks in the construction process have delayed the inauguration of Atlético Mineiro’s new stadium. Although they were resolved quickly, tense political relations between the city council and the executive power of the mayor of Belo Horizonte delayed the approval process. The new stadium must be given permission to accommodate 40,000 fans, and the club is confident that all the legal obstacles will be resolved in the next few days.
Atlético president Sérgio Coelho said in an interview with a local publication that the club’s intention is to inaugurate the MRV Arena against Santos. “The chances are very high that it will be against Santos,” he said.
However, before the game against Santos, Galo will play three times, the first of which on Wednesday against Palmeiras in the second leg of the Copa Libertadores round of 16. Mineiro will face a tough challenge away from home after losing the first leg thanks to a goal from Raphael Veiga, Palmeiras’ number 10, in the 29th minute.