Patronato vs Velez
Patronato have a mountain to climb if they want to stay in the top flight: having lost five of their last six league matches (with a single win in the process), the team accumulated only ten points in the Copa Liga Profesional, which places them bottom in the relegation table, far away from safety. El Patron also are on three losses in a row at home (to Banfield, Racing Club and Gimnasia LP). On a positive note, Facundo Sava’s men beat second-tier side Deportivo Moron 2-0 in the Copa Argentina first round during the league break. Lucas Barrios and Gabriel Gudino left the club this winter while the reinforcements are yet to arrive.
Velez Sarsfield produced an irregular campaign in the first semester, but a good run under interim boss Julio Vaccari (three wins, three draws and a single loss in league action) allowed them to make it 18 points and approach the Copa Sudamericana spots. Furthermore, El Fortin beat Uruguay’s Nacional 3-2 away and Estudiantes 4-0 at home during the league break to advance to the Copa Libertadores’ round of 16. Velez also stopped a negative streak of ten domestic matches without a win on the road (four draws and six defeats) by beating Colon 2-1 in their last Copa Liga Profesional game. Â
Patronato needs to have a great semester to avoid relegation and without any new players, and without Gudiño and Barrios it definitely won’t be any easier. Velez improved lately, they advanced in Copa Libertadores and they are in great mood so I think they should win here.