Matchday two in the second phase of the Argentine Primera Division campaign concludes on Tuesday, when Velez Sarsfield host Newell's Old Boys at Estadio Jose Amalfitani.
The club from Liniers lost their opening match in this round of the competition, 3-1 versus Gimnasia, while Newell's triumphed over Platense, 2-0.
Match preview
© Reuters
After a solid end to the opening phase of this competition, Sarsfield suffered their first domestic defeat since late March to begin the second round.
That was only their second defeat in their previous 12 Primera fixtures, not counting the first-round playoffs, and it has them clinging to the final place in the Copa Sudamericana qualification stage next year, currently 10th in the aggregate table.
El Fortin have been particularly sharp defensively at home this season, without a goal conceded in their final three encounters at Estadio Jose Amalfitani in the first phase, while going unbeaten in their last five home fixtures in round one.
Velez Sarsfield have not lost consecutive domestic games in normal time since being beaten by Independiente (1-0) and River Plate (5-0) on matchday two and three of the opening round.
Gustavo Quinteros's side are unbeaten domestically in 2024 when scoring the opening goal, winning in all but two of their Primera contests this year when doing so.
They have not won a match versus Newell's on home soil since February 2021 at the Copa de la Liga when they claimed a 1-0 triumph against them.
© Reuters
It was a positive start to the second phase for Mauricio Larriera's men as they posted a clean sheet at home for the first time since March (0-0 draw versus Platense).
That has them within striking distance of Velez Sarsfield in the race for a spot in the Sudamericana, just a point behind them in the aggregate table.
Four of their six victories in the opening phase of this competition occurred away from home, three of which were clean sheets.
La Lepra have won four successive matches in all competitions when netting the opening goal, failing to concede in any of those encounters.
On the other hand, they have lost their last two competitive fixtures in which they had conceded the opener, claiming just one point when going down 1-0 in the first phase.
Newell's have a chance to claim three successive victories against Velez Sarsfield for the first time ever on Tuesday, with La Lepra winning the previous two meetings by a 1-0 score.
Team News
© Reuters
Yeison Gordillo is dealing with a sprained knee, while Ricardo Centurion has a meniscus injury, and neither are expected to be available for Velez Sarsfield until late May.
Matias Pellegrini scored a consolation goal in their defeat to Gimnasia, but the match was out of reach by then, with his side down 3-0.
It will be a while before David Sotelo is back on the field for Newell's Old Boys, with the 20-year-old likely unavailable until late October due to an ACL injury.
Goals from Jeronimo Cacciabue and Brian Aguirre in the latter stages of their opening fixture were enough to propel them to a victory over Platense.
Velez Sarsfield possible starting lineup:
Marchiori; Garcia, Mammana, V. Gomez, E. Gomez; Ordonez, Bouzat; Pizzini, Aquino, Pellegrini; Romero
Newell's Old Boys possible starting lineup:
Hoyos; Mendez, Velazquez, Glavinovich, Martino; Cacciabue, R. Fernandez, Aguirre; May; Gonzalez, Ramirez
We say: Velez Sarsfield 0-1 Newell's Old Boys
Newell's appear to have cleaned up their defensive game, and they should be full of confidence, given their form away from home in the opening round.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
Joel Lefevre
