Independiente vs Belgrano
Despite having hired a new coach, Independiente continue to get worse week after week. Last Sunday, the team showed a terrible version and ended up losing 2-0 away at league leaders River Plate, who could have won by a larger margin. El Rojo made it 12 consecutive matches without a win in league action (seven draws and five defeats). As a result, they dropped down to the penultimate spot of the Liga Profesional table on ten points, leading bottom-placed Union Santa Fe by just two in the fight to avoid relegation via the aggregate rankings. Furthermore, Independiente are the worst home team in this competition so far, having taken three points from 18 on offer as a product of three draws and three losses.
Belgrano are showing their best form of the season. Last weekend, the team secured a massive 1-0 success over Newell’s Old Boys at home thanks to a strike from Pablo Vegetti in the first half. That result means the newcomers climbed into fourth place of the Liga Profesional table on 24 points in 13 rounds as they have been unbeaten in their last five games in this competition, winning four and drawing one without even conceding. In fact, Belgrano also won three of their last four away games, losing only once in that spell.
Independiente has been terrible so far but I’m going to give them a chance here. They are one of the biggest clubs in the league, sooner or later they will get out of this crisis and this odds for them to not lose at home look too big to pass.