River Plate vs Atlético Mineiro Odds & Prediction – Copa Libertadores Quarterfinals Leg 1

• River Plate hosts Atlético Mineiro in their first leg quarterfinal match of the Copa Libertadores on Wednesday, August 11th at 8:30 PM EST
• River Plate beat Argentinos Juniors in the round of 16, while Atlético Mineiro had the difficult task of taking down Boca Juniors
• Get the odds, our analysis and betting prediction below

The Copa Libertadores is down to its final eight teams, with the two-legged quarterfinals taking place over both this week and next. One of the standout matches is between Argentinean giants, River Plate, and Atlético Mineiro of Brazil. These two sides have never squared off in a head-to-head match, which should make for an interesting fixture.

In the group stages, River Plate narrowly achieved second place, as three draws really helped them get to the knockout phases. Meanwhile, Atlético had a much different experience in Group H. Aside from a single draw, the Brazilians were perfect through five games, accumulating 16 points along the way. Additionally, Cuca’s side only conceded three times across those six matches, which is more than an impressive feat.

River Plate vs Atlético Mineiro Odds

Odds as of Aug 10 at FanDuel

However, in the round of 16, Atlético struggled to replicate their success on offense, resulting in two consecutive 0-0 draws to Boca Juniors. Luckily, their penalty takers got the job done, leading them into the next round. River Plate also suffered through a stalemate in their first leg against Argentinos Juniors but was able to pick up a 2-0 win away from home in the second leg. Now the two South American sides face off for their first leg quarterfinal match at the El Monumental Stadium in Buenos Aires.

River Plate Off to a Slow Start in August

Firstly, it has been a couple of weeks since River Plate’s last Copa Libertadores match. Since then, they have put together a very mixed bag of results, winning twice, losing twice and drawing once. However, since the start of August, they are without a win. River Plate’s two most recent matches were both losses to Boca Juniors and Godoy Cruz. While these are definitely more talented sides, now is not the time to go on a cold streak.

⚽️ Ejercicios físicos de velocidad y trabajos técnicos en el Monumental.

⏸️ Diferenciado: Montiel.#VamosRiver ⚪️🔴⚪️ pic.twitter.com/GSLvgFZVoI

— River Plate (@RiverPlate) August 10, 2021

On an even more concerning note, their offense has just looked stagnant, only managing to score twice in three games. Atlético’s defense is extremely stingy, so if the likes of Matias Suarez and Julian Alvarez do not start picking it up, River Plate could have serious trouble.

Nonetheless, this is a River Plate side who are extremely experienced and well-versed in this competition. They have won it four times, most recently in 2018, defeating their rivals Boca Juniors. They have an abundance of experienced veterans in this side that should be able to have the composure to lead River Plate to victory. One thing to note is that they will be without 38-year-old defender Javier Pinola, which could affect their organization at the back.

ℹ️ [Parte médico] Javier Pinola: fractura en extremo distal de cúbito derecho.

¡Pronta recuperación, @javierpinola25! 💪 pic.twitter.com/PsQWdyqXSs

— Estadio Monumental (@ElMonuoficialok) August 9, 2021

Feeling Like 2013 for Atlético Mineiro

Next, for Atlético Mineiro, they have only won the coveted Copa Libertadores trophy once, back in 2013. They defeated Olimpia in the final, in a year River Plate were not even in the competition. Since 2013, Atlético have found it difficult to mirror that success. Nonetheless, they have been stellar at this year’s edition of the Copa Libertadores. Not only have they been winning games, but they are doing so in style, scoring goals in abundance.

River Plate vs Atlético Mineiro Copa Libertadores Statistics

They did not have the hardest group by any means with the likes of Cerro Porteno, America de Cali and Deportivo La Guaira. However, they quieted all of the doubters by taking down Boca Juniors in the round of 16.

That was a statement victory and was a testament to how good their defense really is. Expect Dodo and Mariano to start on the outsides of the defense with Nathan Silva certainly starring in the middle. Finally, up top, Hulk will be the most likely to score for Atlético. Despite being 35 years old, the former Porto attacker is still banging in goals and is a major threat.

🇧🇷💪 All of Hulk's goals for @Atletico in the CONMEBOL #Libertadores!

🧐 He's one of the competition's leading goal scorers with 6⃣ and will now face #RiverPlate in the Quarterfinals! pic.twitter.com/FZ2HuiiSoh

— CONMEBOL Libertadores (@TheLibertadores) August 2, 2021

River Plate vs Atlético Mineiro Best Bet

Overall, the best bet for this match is a draw with moneyline odds of +220. This bet has great value seeing that these sides combined for three draws out of their four round of 16 knockout matches. While River Plate has not been really at the races lately, they have the experience to see this one out to a draw at home.

Pick: Draw moneyline (+220)