Lanus take on Atletico Tucuman at Estadio Ciudad de Lanus on Sunday evening, in the latest round of matches in the Argentine Primera Division.
The hosts are seventh in the table, having been on a solid recent run of form, while the visitors are currently sitting in 25th place.
Match preview
Lanus have collected 29 points from their opening 17 league games, meaning they could move as high as fourth in the table with a victory on Sunday, and there is every indication they are capable of taking all three points.
Granate have won their last four league home games, conceding just one goal in the process, most recently recording a 1-0 victory against Newell's Old Boys, courtesy of Leandro Diaz's ninth goal of the season.
Frank Kudelka's side have lost just one of their last eight league games, which bodes well heading into Sunday's game, as does their recent record against their opponents, winning six and drawing one of the last seven encounters at Estadio Ciudad de Lanus.
Given that they finished 27th in the previous campaign, Lanus are a much-improved side this season, and the fans will be hoping their side can reach the heights they did in the 2016 campaign, during which they secured qualification for the Copa Libertadores.
Although they are currently 12 points behind league leaders River Plate, second place is still firmly in reach, trailing San Lorenzo by six points, while they also possess a game in hand against a side who have been struggling so far this season.
Indeed, Atletico Tucuman have been very poor this season, picking up just 18 points in 18 games, meaning they are in 25th place, just three points above bottom-of-the-table Union, who occupy the relegation spot.
That said, Tucuman have started to show some signs of improvement, and they have been much more difficult to beat in recent weeks, keeping clean sheets in their last two matches.
Most recently, Lucas Pusineri's side recorded a 1-0 victory at home against Arsenal Sarandi, with Ramiro Ruiz scoring a dramatic late winner after being brought on as a substitute, providing some much-needed breathing room at the bottom end of the table.
That said, Arsenal Sarandi are struggling, currently sitting in 27th place, and Sunday's game is likely to be a far tougher test for El Decano, having won just one away game so far this season.
Team News
Lanus are set to be without Luciano Boggio as the 24-year-old was sent off against Independiente last time out, meaning Julian Fernandez could slot into the midfield three, accompanying Tomas Belmonte and Raul Loaiza.
Lautaro Acosta remains unavailable due to injury, as does Braian Aguirre, with both players being ruled out of the last two games, while Jose Canale has missed the last four, and the Paraguayan is also set to be sidelined.
Atletico Tucuman also have a couple of injury issues to deal with, as long-term absentee Marcelo Gonzalez remains on the treatment table, while Bruno Bianchi has recently sustained an injury, which caused the defender to miss the last match.
As such, Francisco Flores is likely to keep his place at centre-back, having played a key role in Tucuman keeping a clean sheet last time out, but Ramiro Ruiz could replace Mateo Coronel in the starting lineup after scoring the winner from the bench.
Lanus possible starting lineup:
Acosta; Careaga, Aguilar, Lema, Barreto; Loaiza, Belmonte, Fernandez; De La Vega, Orozco, Diaz
Atletico Tucuman possible starting lineup:
Marchiori; Tesuri, Ortiz, Flores, Romero, Orihuela; Di Franco, Kociubinski, Pereyra; Estigarribia, Ruiz
We say: Lanus 2-0 Atletico Tucuman
Lanus are faring very well in the Argentine Primera Division, having improved considerably since last season, and they have a near-impeccable record at home against Atletico Tucuman, going undefeated in the last seven meetings between the two sides on home soil.
As such, we expect the hosts to record a fairly comfortable victory, keeping them in the hunt for the Copa Libertadores qualification places.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
Top tip
Dominic Lund
