Argentinos Juniors have a chance to extend their unbeaten run in the Argentine Primera Division to five games when they host Boca Juniors on Tuesday at Estadio Diego Armando Maradona.
That impressive run has put El Bicho in the hunt for the domestic title, currently trailing Racing by only three points in the aggregate table, while Boca managed to end a three-game losing streak in the Primera Division thanks to a 1-0 win over Talleres Cordoba on Saturday.
Match preview
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After a solid fourth-place finish in the previous round, Gabriel Milito's men have found another gear in phase two of the competition, scoring the third-most goals (12) in the Argentine league after eight games.
They have been notoriously fast starters of late, scoring three goals in their last two games before the half-hour mark, while half of their tallies in this phase of the competition have come in the opening half.
Throughout most of this league campaign, these players have shown tremendous cohesion on the pitch, while doing a nice job of clogging the midfield, with five players usually positioned there to keep opposing teams from entering their third of the field.
The danger in that approach has been that teams who can break through that midfield line usually have a clear path towards the goal, with only three defenders at the back to cover a lot of open spaces, as Argentinos have conceded in every domestic match in this phase.
When this team are in possession, they are as strong as anyone in the league, with their strikers and midfielders showcasing plenty of ball skills in tight spaces and doing a great job at winning 50/50 balls.
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It is hard to believe that just a few weeks ago Boca Juniors were in contention for a couple of major trophies when you consider what has transpired with them in recent times.
Not much has gone right for this team since the end of June, losing three of their last four league fixtures, while also being knocked out by Corinthians on penalties in the round of 16 at the Copa Libertadores.
That exit was the final nail in the coffin for Sebastian Battaglia, as he was sacked in favour of Hugo Ibarra, who will be the interim boss for the time being.
The former Argentina international, who won a pair of league titles with this club as a player, along with the 2008 Apertura championship, has a big job ahead of him to keep them in a Libertadores position at the very least by the end of the 2022 campaign.
Defensively, this team have rarely looked organised or comfortable when other sides attack them in numbers, conceding the second-most goals (13) so far in this phase of the competition.
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Team News
Fausto Vera notched a brace this weekend in a 3-1 triumph for Argentinos over Barracas Central, with the other tally coming courtesy of Jose Herrera as Vera has moved past Nicolas Reniero and Thiago Nuss for first on the team in goals in the second phase (three).
Nuss and Gabriel Carabajal both collected assists in their previous match, the first for each of them, while Javier Cabrera has two on the season to lead the way.
Miguel Angel Torren missed their last game because of a red card suspension, and he was replaced by Marco Di Cesare, which was the only change made to their starting 11.
Marcos Rojo scored the only goal for Boca Juniors in their victory over Talleres Cordoba, while Agustin Rossi only had to make two saves to pick up a clean sheet.
Sebastian Villa leads Boca in assists so far in this phase of the competition, Exequiel Zeballos is now tied with Rojo for most goals on the team, with Villa and Dario Benedetto just behind them.
Nicolas Figal is not expected to be back until late July due to an issue in his knee, while Diego Gonzalez and Norberto Briasco will miss around the same amount of time with meniscus and ankle injuries respectively.
Argentinos Juniors possible starting lineup:
Lanzillota; Villalba, Torren, Minissale; Sanchez, Carabajal, Moyano, Vera, Cabrera; Veron, Nuss
Boca Juniors possible starting lineup:
Rossi; Fabra, Rojo, Zambrano, Weigandt; Payero; Ramirez, Romero, Campuzano; Villa, Zeballos
We say: Argentinos Juniors 2-0 Boca Juniors
El Bicho have been one of the most consistent sides in Argentina all season, and the same cannot be said for the 34-time league winners, who have not shown much structure or been all that compact for much of the campaign.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
Joel Lefevre
