Reigning Argentine Primera Division champions River Plate will welcome Gimnasia to El Monumental on Thursday, aiming to bounce back from an underwhelming start to their title defence.
The hosts currently sit seven points behind the summit as well as six points adrift of their next opponents Gimnasia in fifth place.
Match preview
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River Plate extended their winless league run to three matches when they played out a 2-2 draw away against Velez Sarsfield on Monday.
In a game which saw head coach Marcelo Gallardo watching from the stands after receiving a red card in the previous game, River Plate were leading 2-1 heading into second-half stoppage time until Abiel Osorio scored a dramatic 93rd-minute equaliser to help Velez snatch a point on home soil.
Los Millonarios have now won two, drawn three and lost three of their first eight games in the second phase of the Argentine Primera Division, and at the time of writing they currently sit 16th in the table, four points above the bottom three and three points behind the top 10.
River Plate have struggled to find the net in recent games at El Monumental, failing to score in three of their last four home matches, but they have had no problems scoring against Thursday's opponents Gimnasia as they have netted in each of their last 12 meetings against them, including seven strikes in their last two home clashes.
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Like River Plate, Gimnasia head into Thursday's game after picking up only a point in their last league fixture, playing out a goalless draw at home to Colon last weekend.
Not only did that result bring an end to their seven-game winning streak on home soil, but they also missed the chance to climb to the top of the table, as they now sit in fifth place and one point behind all four teams above them.
Head coach Nestor Gorosito – who spent six years at River Plate as a player in the mid-1980s – is tasked with helping Gimnasia improve on last year's 11th-placed finish in the top flight, and so far they have made a promising start in 2022, winning four and drawing three of their opening eight games.
The Wolf, however, have struggled in meetings with River Plate over the years as they have only won once in their last 12 encounters against them – a 2-1 home victory back in December 2017.
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Team News
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River Plate will be without Enzo Perez and Matias Suarez due to hamstring injuries, while Robert Rojas (broken leg), Franco Paredes (ligament) and Paulo Diaz (hip) are also on the treatment table.
David Martinez and Rodrigo Aliendro are both able to return from suspension, but Gallardo is unable to call upon star forward Julian Alvarez and midfielder Enzo Fernandez, who has both left the club to join Manchester City and Benfica respectively.
The absence of Alvarez is now likely to see Lucas Beltran and Braian Romero battle to start as the central striker.
As for Gimnasia, Leandro Contin, Maximiliano Coronel and Cristian Tarragona all remain sidelined with long-term ACL injuries.
Centre-back Oscar Piris will be hoping to return to the first XI ahead of German Guiffrey, joining Guillermo Enrique, Leonardo Morales and Matias Melluso in the back four.
Eric Ramirez and Franco Soldano are set to start again up front and they could be supported in attack by wingers Lautaro Chavez and Ramon Sosa.
River Plate possible starting lineup:
Armani; Mammana, Gonzalez, Maidana, Gomez; Zuculini; Simon, De La Cruz, Palavecino, Barco; Beltran
Gimnasia possible starting lineup:
Rey; Enrique, Piris, Morales, Melluso; Chavez, Cardozo, Aleman, Sosa; Ramirez, Soldano
We say: River Plate 2-1 Gimnasia
Gimnasia have recently lost their momentum, claiming just one point from their last two outings, which will provide River Plate with confidence heading into Thursday's contest.
The hosts have struggled for consistency so far this term, but we can see them coming away with a slender victory on this occasion.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
Oliver Thomas
