Gameweek nine in the second phase of the Argentine Primera Division will see Rosario Central taking on Velez Sarsfield at Estadio Gigante de Arroyito on Friday.
The hosts are currently in 10th place in the league standings with 11 points after eight matches, while the visitors are in fifth place with 13 points, three behind league leaders River Plate.
Match preview
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After finishing 20th last season, Rosario Central enjoyed a successful first phase of the campaign, managing an eighth-placed finish, with just four points separating them and San Lorenzo in third spot.
In a compact league table, Canalla are currently only two points off the top four and come into this match on a three-match winning streak, including a quarter-final success over Arteaga in the Copa Santa Fe last weekend.
Miguel Angel Russo's side have won three, drawn two and lost three of their eight league games in the second half of the season, though their undoubted strength this year has been their excellent home form.
Rosario Central are the only side in the Argentine top flight that has not lost a single home match this season and are unbeaten in their last 25 matches in all competitions dating back to August last year.
In addition to constantly gaining points on their home patch, the hosts have also been difficult to break down, recording six clean sheets in their last eight matches, including back-to-back shutouts in their last two games against Newell's Old Boys and Huracan.
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Meanwhile, Velez Sarsfield ended last season as well as the first half of this year in the bottom four, but having made a positive start to the second phase, they will be hoping to continue their good form until the end of the current campaign.
Following an impressive 3-1 win over Atletico Tucuman last week, El Fortin moved into the top five in the league with a record of four wins, one draw and three losses in their first eight matches.
Santiago Castro, Roberto Garcia, and Jose Florentin all got on the scoresheet for their side in the last match, with the former taking the outright goal-scoring lead for the club, now on five for the season.
However, in order to maintain their lofty position in the league, Sebastian Mendez will need to find a way to improve his side's away record, as they have failed to win any of their last six games on the road, while only tasting victory once in their last 15 in all competitions.
While the visitors will come into this match with confidence, they did lose on their last two visits to Estadio Gigante de Arroyito and failed to score in either of those matches.
Team News
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After making a promising start to the campaign, Lautaro Giaccone is expected to miss the rest of the season for Rosario Central due to a tear in his abductor muscle.
Walter Montoya (ruptured ankle ligament) and Francis Mac Allister (ruptured cruciate ligament) are long-term absentees, while Luca Martinez Dupuy has sustained a knock but should be back next week.
Mendez will be without the services of Braian Romero, Christian Ordonez and Leonardo Jara, with all three players suffering from knee injuries.
Tomas Cavanagh is still on the road to recovery following surgery on his appendix and is only expected to return to first-team training in November at the earliest.
Rosario Central possible starting lineup:
Broun; Martinez, Mallo, Komar, Quintana, Rodriguez; Toledo, Infantino, Lo Celso, Ferreyra, Veliz
Velez Sarsfield possible starting lineup:
Burian; Gianetti, Godin, Gomez, Garcia, Ortega; Florentin, Mendez, Cabrera; Bou, Castro
We say: Rosario Central 1-0 Velez Sarsfield
While Rosario Central's overall record this season has been average at best, they are a different side at home and will fancy their chances of claiming another scalp here. We are expecting a tight contest but feel that the hosts will claim the points, albeit by a slender margin.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
Top tip
Devesh Jaganath
