Independiente and Barracas Central will face each other with both teams on opposing ends of the table. The hosts are in second place in group A with 15 points with six rounds of games remaining. Their opponents are in 12th place despite only being five points worse off.
Preview (Independiente vs. Barracas Central)
Independiente, who started well after a lackluster first-phase campaign in which they finished 24th in the domestic top flight with just 28 points from their 27 matches, find themselves in a strong position in their qualification bid heading into the ninth of 14 rounds of Argentine Primera Division second-phase group games. El Rojo started the second phase in mid-August at home against Colon. They had to deal with a losing start as they were defeated 1-0. In spite of this, they have since established themselves in the group’s leading pack. They have gone undefeated in their seven games following a difficult conclusion to that term.
Under the new leadership of Carlos Tevez, they began that run with three straight triumphs over Velez Sarsfield, Gimnasia La Plata, and Huracan. They then played out back-to-back draws with Rosario Central and Instituto to go onto 11 points from six games. El Rojo traveled to Racing Club with the intention of maintaining their winning streak under their new manager and came away with all three points after a 2-0 victory thanks to goals from Alexis Canelo and Chaco Martinez. Most recently, El Rojo played Argentinos Juniors away from home and extended their unbeaten run with a goalless draw.
Independiente will be eager to continue their impressive run on Thursday. They will make a quick return to winning ways to further strengthen their position. They are still without a loss under Tevez and have now moved up to second in their group. Independiente welcome Barracas Central, who finished the regular season in 15th place with 35 points from 27 games. They are looking to cut the gap between their opponents and the top four.
Team News
Following their goalless draw away at Argentinos Juniors last time out, Carlos Tevez may decide to start the same Independiente starting lineup this time around. The clean sheet will undoubtedly earn Cristian Baez, Felipe Aguilar, and Joaquin Laso starts in a back three once more. Their line will once again be led by Matias Gimenez. He has increased his season total to eight goals in all competitions by scoring three goals. Veteran attacker Martin Cauteruccio is still out due to injury. Chaco Martinez and Alexis Canelo will probably join him in the attack. Ivan Marcone and Federico Mancuello will undoubtedly team up once more in the middle of the field.
In Rondina’s preferred 4-2-3-1 formation, Alexis Dominguez should once again be given the nod over Bruno Sepulveda to lead the line after scoring two goals and providing an assist in their last four second-phase contests. Barracas Central may also be unchanged from their significant victory over Colon last time out. Ivan Tapia will once again play a crucial role in the middle of a supporting three behind the lone forward. Tapia has so far this season led all scorers with four goals and seven assists, while Facundo Mater and Brian Calderara will look to maintain their starting positions on the wings.
Siro Rosane and Carlos Arce should once more team up behind that trio, while Francisco Alvarez and Juan Ignacio Diaz will undoubtedly team up once more in defense. Barracas Central enters the match on the heels of a return to winning ways, but they have yet to establish any real consistency this season, so we can only envision a home victory on Thursday. Independiente, who have enjoyed a seven-match unbeaten streak under Carlos Tevez, has plenty of momentum on their side.
Independiente 2 – 0 Barracas Central
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