Colón Santa Fe v Aldosivi

In this first game in the Primera Division after the international break, Colón Santa Fe will take on Aldosivi in their own stadium. Cólon are coming off a 0-0 in the derby against Unión de Santa Fe, but they really should have won that game. Aldosivi on the other hand, won their last two games. Against Tigre they were battered the entire game, but sneaked out a cheeky 1-0 victory in the final minutes of the game. A week later against Patronato, one of the weakest teams in the league, they were just about better and were helped by a penalty and a red card, so it doesn’t seem to be the case that they are suddenly a force to take into account this season. 

In other words, Colón should really win this game. They are far better than Aldosivi and are pretty much complete for this game. Only centre back Rafael Delgado won’t be there from the starting XI against Unión, as he picked up an injury during the week. Uruguayan left back Andrew Teuten impressed against Union and will surely be in the starting XI again. 

Aldosivi’s main weapon so far this season has been Martin Cauteruccio. The 34-year-old Uruguayan striker scored twice against Patronato and with five goals, he is surprisingly the league’s top goalscorer in Argentina. Nevertheless, I don’t think his presence will be enough to get a result here.

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Gimnasia La Plata v Talleres Córdoba

Talleres had a shocking start to this season with two points from the first six games in which they found the back of the net exactly once. It cost manager Angel Guillermo Hoyos his job and his replacement is interesting. Talleres signed Pedro Caixinha, a recipe for fun, as the Portuguese manager is not scared to stir up a bit of controversy. 

Before the former Santos manager took charge, Talleres already claimed their first victory of the season, with a hard fought 2-1 victory over Godoy Cruz and Diego Valoyes was the match winner. The Colombian winger was one of the best players in Argentina last season, but has been injured and only played his third game of the season so far. 

Gimnasia are after a difficult 1-1 draw against Estudiantes la Plata. Gimnasia were trailing from the first half, but pushed hard to get the equaliser against the more famous city rivals. They finally got the deserved draw with a 96th minute goal, but they are still pretty much bottom of their group. 

Despite the draw against Estudiantes, who are top of their group, Gimnasia don’t look that steady, so I suspect Talleres are in it for a result here. Caixinha has only just joined, but even before the eccentric manager signed, Talleres already looked stronger as several players returned from injury. That means I suspect Talleres will take at least a point home from la Plata.

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Barracas Central v Independiente

Barracas Central seem a changed side since manager Alfredo Berti took charge of the team. The promoted side lost the first four games of the season, but after the manager change, Barracas won all three games and none of those victories were flattered. What stands out is that the attacking power has received a massive boost. Barracas still conceded in every game, but scored seven goals in three games, compared to the two goals in the first four. Berti didn’t make many changes to the line-up since he came in, so it is clear where the difference is. 

Independiente also like to attack, but they are not in their best run. In fact, they went five league games without a victory. What is interesting though is that Independiente had a better xG than their opponent in every single game this season, but so far it didn’t get them more than one victory. The derby defeat against Racing de Avellaneda put the pressure even more on manager Eduardo Dominguez, but it seems he won’t make drastic changes from that game, as they deserved more. 

Against Barracas Central they play against a fairly weak defensive line, but also a team, high on confidence who are not afraid to go forward. That’s why I suspect there will be goals in this game. Independiente will have a Copa Sudamericana game in Brazil on Tuesday, but after a two-week break, I doubt that will affect the way they go into this game.

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Godoy Cruz v Estudiantes La Plata

We now move on to Godoy Cruz vs Estudiantes La Plata. Estudiantes are having a great season so far, especially considering they have been active on two fronts. 

Estudiantes played four Copa Libertadores qualifiers and rested some of their starters in the Copa de la Liga Profesional, as qualification for the main stage of the Lib is much more important. Despite the extra games and resting several players in league games, Estudiantes top their group together with Boca Juniors. 

After a two-week international break, fitness shouldn’t be an issue. Estudiantes do play their first Copa Lib group game later this week. But that game is on Thursday and in their own stadium, so too far ahead to really be taken into account this Saturday. Estudiantes are still without striker Mauro Boselli, who’ll be out for a few more weeks. It has affected their power up front, but with Leandro Diaz they have another quality striker, as he is already on five goals this year. 

Godoy Cruz have conceded the most in their group and they will be without their captain Guillermo Ortiz this game. The centre back was sent off in the 2-1 defeat against Talleres last game and sits out a suspension. Godoy Cruz look weak this season and as Estudiantes seem to close the best possible situation, I think it is highly unlikely that the home side will get a result here.

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Defensa y Justicia v River Plate

Later this Saturday is probably the match most people look forward to. Both Defensa y Justicia and River Plate like playing forward and especially Defensa have let their defence be exposed fairly often this season. With Sebastián Beccacece they have a manager who loves positive football and that has already resulted in a 14-11 goal difference. It makes them the team in Argentina that is involved in most goals in this season. 

River Plate took a tough derby defeat against Boca Juniors two weeks ago. River were mostly dominating the game, but Boca converted their only real chance and managed to keep their goal to zero. River players like Julián Álvarez had some time to process this over the international break. River’s main striker hasn’t been in the best form this season, but a goal for Argentina in the World Cup qualifier against Ecuador should have boosted his confidence. 

Defensa don’t have the most steady defence and on top of that, they’ll be without Nazareno  Colombo. The centre back was sent off for the second time this season and is suspended for this game. It will probably mean they’ll push Raul Loaiza back a line and although it isn’t a bad option, it could make their defence even more vulnerable. All these factors make me think that we are going to see plenty of goals in this game.

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