Independiente Rivadavia – Gimnasia

Independiente Rivadavia put up a good fight on their visit to league leaders Huracan in MD5, but they ended up losing 1-0 in an intense game. That result represented their second consecutive defeat in Liga Profesional action as La Lepra remain on seven points, which keeps them bottom in the point-average table (four points behind Deportivo Riestra in the fight to avoid relegation). In fact, Independiente have been struggling at home lately, taking a single point across the last 21 available at Estadio Bautista Gargantini. Coach Martin Cicotello will miss star player Matias Reali, who has been sold to San Lorenzo. The club hired 12 new players, including Sebastian Villa (from Beroe FC, Bulgaria), Agustin Mulet (Cobreloa, Chile) and Luciano Gomez (Gimnasia LP).

Gimnasia LP showed their home strength in MD5 when they had enough to beat Barracas Central 2-1 at home, with Rodrigo Castillo netting the winner in the 85th minute. El Lobo are performing well in the Liga Profesional, accumulating ten points so far (three behind leaders). However, despite having lost only one of five (three wins and one draw), Marcelo Mendez’s men remain out of the Copa Sudamericana spots in the aggregate table. On away turf, Gimnasia took a single point from the last 21 on offer. Defensive midfielder Rodrigo Saravia joined FC Rostov in Russia.

Independiente Rivadavia will need to adapt to life without playmaker Matias Reali who was sold to San Lorenzo. They are in bad shape on the relegation table and will need to adapt their new 12 players very fast, and Gimnasia who had a good start of the tournament and can become leaders with a win, could be too much for them.

BET: Gimnasia DNB @ 1.97