Atletico Tucuman can leapfrog Gimnasia in the Argentine Primera Division table when they host the La Plata-based side on Tuesday at Estadio Monumental Jose Fierro.
El Decano got past Huracan on Thursday, winning 1-0 for the second successive encounter, putting them a point behind El Lobo, who came back to draw Independiente 1-1.
Match preview
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Despite giving away their share of possession and scoring opportunities, Tucuman have been doing enough to get by lately, winning three of their last four domestic affairs by a single goal.
Five of their six league triumphs in 2023 have been by a single goal, including a 1-0 win in their previous home game versus Union, conceding just once in their last three Primera fixtures played at Estadio Monumental Jose Fierro.
Attacking in transition is how this group have operated under Lucas Pusineri, and those tactics have produced some positive results for them of late, winning three of their last four games.
While many of their players and coaches have come and gone over the past couple of seasons, this group seem to be at their sharpest defensively when July rolls around, posting eight consecutive clean sheets domestically and without a goal conceded this month since a 2-1 victory over Godoy Cruz in July 2021.
Last year, they ended a three-match losing run in all competitions versus Los Triperos with a goal in each half, winning 2-0, their first home triumph against them since 2019 (4-1).
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On matchday 23 of the campaign, Gimnasia did something we had not seen them do since March, erase a second-half deficit to earn a point, only the third time they had managed that in league play this season.
At the beginning of July, they were able to end a three-match run without an away goal in this competition, but their two goals scored were not enough to get past Newell's Old Boys, as they played to a 2-2 draw despite being up 2-0, the fourth point they have squandered in 2023 as the visitors when leading in the second-half.
Just earning points on the road right now, though, has to feel like an achievement for Sebastian Romero and his group, who began the domestic season with just one point from its opening six away fixtures but they will enter this match having picked up a draw in back-to-back encounters as the visitors.
They have been at their best when in transition while looking particularly dangerous down the wings and doing a lot of damage on set pieces.
Gimnasia have not lost a domestic encounter all season when scoring first and historically have only suffered one defeat versus Tucuman when drawing first blood, earning five shutout victories against them, two away from home.
Team News
Cristian Menendez is out for Tucuman because of a knee injury, while Lucas Naranjo is still a few weeks away from being fit, having previously sustained a knee strain himself.
Marcelo Estigarribia notched his fourth of the campaign on Thursday, as Tomas Marchiori made seven stops to preserve a victory over Huracan.
Leading goalscorer Mateo Coronel has netted in each of his previous two home fixtures, while Ramiro Ruiz Rodriguez and former striker Augusto Lotti scored when they defeated El Lobo last year, as former keeper Carlos Lampe only had to make two saves for the shutout.
German Guiffrey continues to miss time for Gimnasia due to a sore shoulder, Matias Miranda and Lautaro Chavez are still recovering from ACL injuries, while Franco Torres will be suspended for this clash following a straight red card versus Independiente.
Benjamin Dominguez rescued his team with a 95th-minute equaliser earlier this week, his second goal in as many games, as he and the team's top goalscorer Cristian Tarragona found the back of the net in their road draw against Newell's.
Tarragona was on the mark twice the last time they defeated Tucuman in 2022, with Eric Ramirez setting him up on both occasions in a 2-1 victory.
Atletico Tucuman possible starting lineup:
Marchiori; Tesuri, Bianchi, Romero, Ibarrola; Ortiz, Acosta, Kociubinski, Pereyra; Estigarribia, Coronel
Gimnasia possible starting lineup:
Durso; Enrique, F. Sanchez, Morales, Colazo; Miramon, Napolitano; Soldano, Mamut, Dominguez; Tarragona
We say: Atletico Tucuman 1-1 Gimnasia
Tucuman have a little more momentum coming into this encounter, but Gimnasia have always seemed to find a way to share the spoils of late, and we anticipate another close game between two evenly matched sides who have scored the same number of goals this season (20).
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
Top tip
Joel Lefevre
