Newell’s vs San Lorenzo
Newell’s Old Boys seem to be living a difficult time. Last time out, the team showed a worthy performance but ended up succumbing to an unlucky 1-0 home defeat to arch-rivals Rosario Central. That result represented La Lepra’s third consecutive loss in Copa Liga Profesional action: as a result of that streak, Mauricio Larriera’s men have been displaced from the playoff spots in group B, accumulating 12 points. In fact, Newell’s are on two defeats in a row at Estadio Marcelo Bielsa without even scoring. Playmaker Ever Banega has served his one-week suspension and is available for Sunday.
After their first league win of the season, San Lorenzo returned to poor form in an uneventful derby last Saturday, when they settled for a scoreless away draw at Huracan. El Ciclon continue to perform a disappointing campaign in the Copa Liga Profesional, having grabbed seven points in as many matches as a product of one victory, four draws and two defeats, which keeps them far away from the playoff zone in group B. In fact, San Lorenzo took just two points from nine on offer on away turf this term. On Wednesday 28, San Lorenzo won 1-0 over third-tier side Independiente Chivilcoy in the Copa Argentina first round. Playmaker Cristian Ferreira is expected to be fit on Sunday after overcoming a muscle problem.
San Lorenzo’s defense is back to what it was last year, with no goals conceded in the last 3 games of which they won two. I expect this to be a very tight game where the visitors will be happy with a draw and Newell’s that has no goals in the last 3 games will find a tough time to score one.