Sarmiento vs Banfield
Sarmiento are starting to go through a crisis in the league. Last Sunday, the side showed a poor version and registered a worrying 3-0 away loss at Defensa y Justicia. El Verde extended their winless streak to five Liga Profesional matches, drawing one and losing four in that time. That negative run dropped them down to the 19th spot of the league table on 29 points, leading Huracan (who are now losing their top-flight status) by seven. On a positive note, Sarmiento succumbed to a single defeat in their last eight home matches, having won three and drawn four.
Banfield are probably going through their best moment of form in 2023. Last Monday, the team celebrated a much-needed 2-0 home success over Godoy Cruz thanks to goals from Juan Bisanz and Emanuel Insua. As a result, El Taladro made it five league matches unbeaten (three victories and two draws) to make it 29 points in the Liga Profesional, opening a seven-point gap over Huracan, who are occupying the relegation spot via the aggregate table. On a sorry note, Banfield won only one of their last eight matches on the road, drawing three and losing four in that time. Defensive midfielder Alejandro Cabrera succumbed to a serious knee injury against Godoy Cruz and will miss out.
Sarmiento has been decent at home despite the overall bad results, Banfield is not that good away and they will miss important midfielder Alejandro Cabrera, so I’ll go with the hosts here.