Velez Sarsfield will look to maintain their perfect record when they host Atletico Tucuman in the Argentine Primera Division. El Fortin is currently tied for first place in Group A alongside El Decano. They drew without scoring last week against Central Cordoba. It followed a 0-0 draw away to Tigre at the end of September.
Preview (Velez Sarsfield vs. Atletico Tucuman)
We have witnessed several similarities between the Liniers-based club’s performance in this round and the first seven matches of this domestic campaign. Sarsfield has only scored one goal in four games during this stage of the campaign. They have won their previous three at home while allowing just one goal in that span. In this portion of the Primera season, they have only given up once in the first half. They are unbeaten at home in either the first or second round of the championship when leading after 45 minutes.
Velez Sarsfield is now 26th in the overall table, third from the bottom. They are only above Gimnasia on goal differential after only accruing 37 points in the first and second phases. In the 1990s, Sebastian Mendez had a distinguished playing career with this team. He helped them win three league trophies, the Copa Libertadores, the Intercontinental Cup, and the Copa Sudamericana. However, as a team manager, he has not been able to achieve anywhere near that level of success.
Atletico Tucuman finished the first half of the Primera season unbeaten in their final three away games, which included two triumphs. However, they were unable to maintain this in round two, going winless in their three away games. After a strong first round in which they earned 37 points from 27 games, they are now in position to compete in the Copa Sudamericana next season. They currently sit one point behind Lanus for a spot in that tournament. They have missed out by one point or less in each of the previous two domestic campaigns.
Team News
As a result of his red card against Tigre in the seventh minute, Nicolas Garayalde will be sidelined for Velez’s match, and Leonardo Jara’s planned recovery from a knee injury won’t happen until late October. In his last two domestic home games, Gaston Gomez has started their last six domestic games in place of Leonardo Burian and has only given up once. Santiago Castro has scored in his last two domestic home games, as he and Juan Ignacio Mendez scored the winning goal in their 2-1 victory over Arsenal Sarand.
Lucas Naranjo, who is healing from a sprained knee, Adrian Sanchez, who could miss time with a muscle issue, Marcelo Ortiz, who has a calf ailment, Cristian Menendez, who has a strained Achilles tendon, Marcelo Estigarribia, who has an issue with his ankle, and Lucas Naranjo. Joaquin Pereyra was the last one to score for them when he converted a 58th-minute penalty on matchday six, helping his side defeat Arsenal Sarandi at home 1-0. Tomas Marchiori has only allowed one goal in his last four domestic appearances between the sticks, posting consecutive clean sheets.
El Decano has struggled to make decisions in the attacking third when playing away from home. They have also not produced many scoring opportunities, but given their current situation, we anticipate a lot more urgency from the home team on Monday.
Velez Sarsfield 1-0 Atletico Tucuman
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