Barracas Central v Aldosivi

Barracas have had a disastrous start to the Primera Division season. The small club obtained a surprising promotion last season. They signed a couple of new players at the start of the season in their quest to stay at the highest level, but failed to pick up a point so far. After the defeat at the hands of Colón, manager Rodolfo de Paoli decided to take a step back and resign. “I don’t think I can make the team grow further,” he said. 

Will that cause the surprise effect that Barracas is looking for? Against Aldosivi they are playing one of the relegation rivals. Aldosivi claimed four points in four games so far, which is a reasonable start of the season for el tiburón. The side relies heavily on Martin Cauteruccio and the Uruguayan striker has already been important this season, scoring two out of their three goals. 

Cauteruccio seems the main reason Aldosivi aren’t bottom of the table, as the side fails to create many chances. On top of that, the defence is not as strong as the four goals conceded in four games shows, because according to their xG, Aldosivi should have conceded at least two goals more. New Barracas manager Alfredo Berti has got decent experience at the highest level in Argentina. He only had four days to prepare his side for this relegation cracker, but against a weak Aldosivi, I think they have a chance to pick up their first points. 

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San Lorenzo v River Plate

San Lorenzo are slowly returning to strength after a Covid outbreak, but if it is enough against River Plate remains to be seen. In the last game against Argentinos Juniors, San Lorenzo didn’t deserve the point, but 42-year-old goalkeeper Sebastian Torrico played a key role in only conceding one goal. If Torrico can have back-to-back starring roles is the question, but it seems San Lorenzo are going to need it. 

The midfield again looked unbalanced, and versus River Plate that could prove costly. River Plate haven’t found their best game yet, but they have one of the best attacking lines commanded by striker Julian Alvarez, already signed by Manchester City for next season. Agustín Palavecino is back from injury and with Juan Fernando Quintero still struggling for fitness, that should be a useful addition to River. 

River come into this game on the back of a 2-2 draw against Racing Club. River Plate were winning comfortably, but gave away a 2-0 lead in the last half hour of the match. Manager Marcelo Gallardo called it “a bit of laziness” from his side in the second half and will surely avoid that from happening again. I think the wake-up call from the last game will make River extra motivated to claim the victory here and with their surplus in quality, I can’t see them give away points in Almagro. 

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18+ please gamble responsibly.

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