Velez vs Argentinos Jrs
Velez Sarsfield saw their impressive eight-match unbeaten streak of six victories and two draws in league action coming to an end last time out, when they put up a good fight away at Talleres but ended up losing 1-0 in a heated six-pointer. That defeat means Gustavo Quinteros’ men have been displaced from the playoff spots in group A as they remain on 21 points, now trailing fourth-placed River Plate by goal difference. On a positive note, El Fortin have been strong at home lately: it’s been five without defeat, winning four and drawing one since losing to Independiente in round two. Captain Valentin Gomez continues to recover from a shoulder injury and is a doubt. In the event of returning, he will replace Damian Fernandez.
Argentinos Juniors continue taking steps to clinch their spot in the Copa Liga Profesional playoffs. In round 12, the team managed to reverse the score and beat Instituto 2-1 away in a hard-fought game. El Bicho extended their unbeaten streak to four league matches (winning three and drawing one) to stay as group A leaders on 24 points and are now just four points away from their ticket to the next round. Furthermore, Argentinos stopped a ten-match winless streak of five draws and five losses on away turf in domestic action. On Tuesday 2, Argentinos won 3-2 away at Paraguay’s Nacional Asuncion in a Copa Sudamericana group game.
Argentinos played Copa Sudamericana at Paraguay last Tuesday and they play at home again next week so they will rotate and rest some regulars here. They are group leaders and they know that even if they lose here, they will end the round in the playoffs zone with only one game left because they have a huge goals difference compared to others. For Velez is a must win as they are just outside the playoffs zone, so I’ll go for the hosts here to get the win they need.