Defensa y Justicia – Boca
Defensa y Justicia seem to be losing momentum at the worst possible time. On Saturday night, they were clearly outplayed, failed to hold on to their early lead, and eventually fell 3-1 on the road to Independiente. As a result, they have now suffered three consecutive defeats in the Torneo Apertura and dropped to eighth place in Group A with 19 points, leaving them with plenty of work to do in the final two rounds if they want to reach the playoffs. At home, they have been inconsistent throughout the campaign, recording one win, five draws, and one defeat so far. Meanwhile, Rubén Botta returns to the squad on Thursday after serving his three-match suspension.
Boca Juniors confirmed their excellent form on Sunday night, as a penalty converted by Leandro Paredes secured a 1-0 win on the road against archrivals River Plate in a hard-fought Superclásico. The result extended their unbeaten run in the Torneo Apertura to ten matches (four wins and six draws) and virtually sealed their place in the playoffs, with 24 points from 14 games. Boca have also been highly effective on the road in this competition, taking ten of the last 12 points available in away matches.
Although Boca comes in very good form and mood after winning the Superclasico, their minds can’t be on this game. They’ve secured a place in the playoffs and next week they have an important Libertadores game at Brazil so they will rest some starters including captain Leandro Paredes who left the game on Sunday with a minor injury. Defensa can’t afford a defeat if they want to make it to the playoffs, they will have playmaker Ruben Botta back in the team and should at least get a draw here.
BET: Defensa y Justicia +0.25 @ 1.79