Cruzeiro and Goiás meet on Tuesday at 21h30 at Mineirão in Belo Horizonte for the second leg of the fifth phase of the Copa do Brasil, with live television coverage on Sportv, Premiere and GE TV across Brazil. ge will also follow the match in Tempo Real.
The tie is level after a 2-2 draw in Goiânia, and a win in Belo Horizonte will send Goiás through to the next round. Cruzeiro arrives after beating Bahia 2-1 in Salvador on Saturday, while Goiás comes in after edging Vila Nova 1-0 in the derby and ending a negative run in Série B.
For Cruzeiro, the list of absences and returns shapes the evening as much as the scoreline. Matheus Henrique suffered a pulmonary injury in a collision with Everaldo and will remain out until he recovers. Cássio and Kauã Prates are also unavailable because of injury, while Kaiki and Arroyo return from suspension. Christian and Kaio Jorge are back after being rested in Salvador.
The expected Cruzeiro lineup is Otávio; Fagner or Kauã Moraes, Fabrício Bruno, Jonathan Jesus and Kaiki; Lucas Romero, Gerson or Lucas Silva and Matheus Pereira; Christian, Arroyo and Kaio Jorge. Goiás is projected to start with Tadeu; Diego Caito, Ramon Menezes, Lucas Ribeiro and Nicolas; Lucas Rodrigues, Lourenço, Gegê and Lucas Lima; Jean Carlos and Anselmo Ramon. Cadu is out with a muscle injury, and Lucas Lima is suspended.
Cruzeiro’s focus is split between cup pressure and league relief. The team is 11th in the Campeonato Brasileiro and has moved further away from the relegation zone, but the cup tie remains unsettled after Cruzeiro led the first leg until the final minutes and then conceded a late goal. That lapse keeps the door open for Goiás, which now needs only a victory to extend its run in the tournament.
Bruno Arleu de Araujo will referee the match, with Luanderson Lima dos Santos and Thiago Henrique Neto Correa Farinha as assistants. Jose Claudio Rocha Filho is the VAR official, and Wanderson Alves de Sousa will serve as fourth referee. With five in the phase and one side carrying a clear route to qualification, Tuesday’s return leg is set up less as a formality than a test of nerve.
