Sarmiento vs River Plate
Sarmiento showed a worthy version last Sunday, when they displayed a great effort but it wasn’t enough to claim points away at Racing Club: the team ended up losing 1-0. As a result, El Verde remain on eight points after seven matches in the Liga Profesional, having won only one of the last four (alongside one stalemate and two losses). This irregular campaign places them in the last safe spot of the point-average table, leading Platense (into the relegation zone) by only three. Sarmiento beat Rosario Central 4-1 in their last home match to break a five-game winless streak of one draw and four defeats at Estadio Eva Peron.
River Plate continue to improve under coach Martin Demichelis. Last Sunday, the team played their best game of the season and celebrated an easy 3-0 home victory over Godoy Cruz. As a result, El Millonario made it two consecutive wins in league action and four across the last five rounds in this competition, along with a single defeat. Thanks to that run, they climbed into second spot of the Liga Profesional table on 15 points, just one behind leaders San Lorenzo. River are on two consecutive successes on the road, having beaten Tigre and Lanus since losing to Belgrano in week two.
Sarmiento home games have been goals fest lately: a 3-5 vs Barracas, a 4-1 vs Rosario Central, and the last time they played River at their stadium they suffered a humiliating 1-7 defeat, so I’ll go with goals here as River has finally found some regularity.