Guaireña v Nacional

Nacional travel to Villarrica on Friday in desperate need of maximum points to try and stay in the title race. Guaireña are looking to bounce back from a surprise defeat to Sol which cut short a three-game winning run in all competitions. 

The home side have been strong in Parque La Guairá this season, only losing to General Caballero (twice) since April. However, they go into this game with some selection concerns with both Víctor Ayala and Cristhian Ocampos suspended following red cards in the previous match. Creative midfielder Pablo Ayala is also out, despite returning from the bench against Sol de América he has had a relapse of his injury and will need surgery. If Rosalino Toledo isn’t fit then we may see 16-year-old central midfielder Rodrigo Villalba fill the gap having started previously against Tacuary and Olimpia.  

Nacional will be missing Wilson Ibarrola, sent off versus Libertad, but welcome back Carlos Espínola who returns from a 2-game suspension. Much of the team’s fortunes have been riding on the goalscoring of Facundo Bruera, but the Argentinian hasn’t netted from open play in six games and was taken off around 60 minutes in the last two games. The Academia have just one goal in their last three games which has coincided with their winless run in the league. 

In the Apertura this fixture was a 1-1 draw, in fact four of Nacional’s five trips to Guairá have ended in parity with the home side winning 1-0 in the 2021 Apertura. There have been three 0-0s and with the home team’s injuries and Troadio Duarte’s tendency to make his side hard to beat rather than play to win we could see a tight, low scoring affair.

---

---

General Caballero v Cerro Porteño

Cerro Porteño lost a lead for the first time since May 2021 as they were pegged back late on by Guaraní, that draw also saw them lose top spot in the league as early season confidence has seeped away. General Caballero are yet to win in the league under new coach Gustavo Florentín and have now gone three games without scoring while conceding eight in the process.

Florentín had made a handful of changes to the side that lost 2-0 against Ameliano, only to fall by the same scoreline against Olimpia. His search for a goal has been further hampered by the sending off of Cristhian Paredes who will be suspended for this game. Veteran playmaker Osvaldo Martínez did start both games, having not played for over a year since leaving Querétaro in Mexico at the end of 2021. His quality is something to watch out for, but the side needs an end product with the Rojo yet to see a Clausura goal from their strikers Hauche and Murillo. 

Chiqui Arce has a selection headache as he decides whether to reinstall Claudio Aquino to the starting lineup or keep Fernando Ovelar. Aquino’s overall level had dropped significantly but he came off the bench to provide the assist in the previous game. Similarly, Rafael Carrascal is back in the squad after a disciplinary incident but Arce might not be ready to hand him his starting place again. All the indications suggest he will stick with the out of sorts Marcelo Moreno Martins who has just three league goals since joining in January. The game will be played in Ciudad del Este where Cerro Porteño last won, four matches ago against Sportivo Ameliano. In the Apertura the azulgrana won comfortably at home 3-1 and drew away 0-0. Cerro’s last seven games have gone under 2.5 regardless of the result and that seems better value than the very short away win.

---

Libertad v Guaraní

Daniel Garnero’s Libertad are looking to make it ten successive wins at home as they welcome Guaraní to La Huerta on Saturday. The visitors head into the game having relied on former Libertad player Néstor Camacho to rescue them in the previous two matches, scoring in the 87^th and 89^th minute against Nacional and Cerro Porteño respectively.   

Libertad are likely to be more ruthless than the two teams from Barrio Obrero and not leave anything up to chance. Since their last meeting with Guaraní, a 1-1 draw, they have scored 2 or more goals in nine out of 11 games. Only failing to go over 1.5 in the title deciding win over Cerro Porteño (1-0) and the shock opening day defeat to Ameliano (0-2). The trident of Melgarejo, Santa Cruz and Óscar Cardozo have been prolific, racking up 12 goals between them in the last six games. Especially impressive since all three are rarely on the pitch together, Cardozo has been used off the bench often for Santa Cruz.  

Fernando Jubero has serious issues in the creativity department, without Camacho’s late salvos they would have gone five league games without scoring including four straight 1-0 defeats. The fact they have only kept one clean sheet this season (a 0-0 with Resistencia) points to how much they miss Roberto Fernández – the young central defender moved to Dinamo Moscow in the off season. His replacement in the starting lineup, Julio González, was sent off late on against Cerro so will miss this match. 

With Libertad purring and Guaraní sputtering, all the signs suggest a comfortable home win for the defending champions.

---

18+ please gamble responsibly.

---

Back the Four and Five Star Selections as a Treble on Betfair ⬇️

*Bet link only appears when accessing from mobile.

---

Haven’t got a Betfair account? You’re in luck…

Sign up to Betfair and get a full refund if your first bet loses. Grab an account through the offer below and place £20 on the 9/2 Paraguayan Primera Best Bets Treble. Here are the two possible outcomes: