Two sides looking to bounce back to winning ways in the Argentine Primera Division will do battle this week when River Plate take on Colon at Estadio Mas Monumental on Thursday.
The hosts saw their lead at the top of the league trimmed to nine points following an unexpected 3-1 loss to Barracas Central last weekend, while the visitors suffered a deflating 4-0 home defeat to Racing Club.
Match preview
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River Plate were handed just their fourth defeat of the season last weekend, cutting their lead to single digits, but it could have been worse had Talleres Cordoba managed to take more than a point against Godoy Cruz on Sunday.
After securing a final 16 spot in the Copa Libertadores the previous week, Martin Demichelis made wholesale changes to his starting lineup against Barracas but found his side two goals down by the hour mark and showed very few signs of making a comeback in the latter stages.
Miguel Borja did manage to net his second goal in as many matches, but the 2-1 scoreline probably flattered Los Millonarios, who struggled to create many chances of real substance and looked noticeably disjointed at the back, which has raised a few concerns around the depth of Demichellis's squad.
However, there is no denying that River Plate have been the best side in the Argentine Primera Division this season, as their 50-point tally to date is already three more than the 47 they recorded last season and just two behind Boca Juniors' winning total of 52 with five games still to go in the first phase.
In addition, the hosts currently hold the second-best home record in the league this season with nine wins and one loss in 10 matches, and with several regular starters expected to return to the first 11, they will be strongly fancied to extend their incredible run of eight consecutive home wins in this one.
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Meanwhile, Colon's 4-0 loss at home to Racing Club over the weekend saw them drop back into the bottom third of the league standings, and their 24 points in 22 matches is only seven more than Arsenal's tally at the foot of the table.
While their four wins this season is the joint-lowest of any team in the league, Nestor Gorosito's side have been difficult to beat for the most part, losing just six matches while managing to take a point in 12 league fixtures this term.
Colon are winless in their last five away matches, but their biggest issue has been their lack of goals on the road, having scored just one in their last five matches and only six after 10 away matches this season.
However, the one positive stat that Gorosito can take from his side's away performances is that they have only conceded nine goals on their travels, which is fewer than the top two sides in the league, River Plate (10) and Talleres Cordoba (12).
Giriga pulled off a famous 1-0 win in this fixture last season on their home patch but are likely to find it much more difficult this time around, heading to a ground that they have returned empty-handed from since 2013.
Team News
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Long-term absentees David Martinez and Bruno Zuculini have failed to feature this season and are set to sit out this match as the pair continue to work their way back to full fitness.
Matias Suarez picked up a knee injury last month and will likely also be forced into a watching brief, while Leandro Gonzalez Pirez has returned to training after suffering a muscle strain but may only be fit enough to make the bench.
Rafael Delgado's two yellow cards against Racing Club last week will mean that he is ineligible for selection in this match which could see Gorosito revert to a four-man backline with Eric Meza dropping out of midfield and into defence.
Joaquin Ibanez is still recovering from a muscle injury but should make the bench, and he may be joined by Jorge Benitez, who failed to impress after being handed starts in the last two matches.
River Plate possible starting lineup:
Armani; Rojas, Maidana, Diaz; Herrera, Fernandez, Palavecino, Barco, Gomez; Rondon, Borja
Colon possible starting lineup:
Chicco; Meza, Garces, Nardelli, Goltz; Picco, Moreyra, Teuten, Perlaza; Farias, Abila
We say: River Plate 2-0 Colon
Colon have not won any of their last five away matches and failed to score in four of them, while the champions-elect are on an eight-match winning streak at home and have kept six clean sheets during that run.
With such contrasting forms, it is unsurprising that the hosts are the clear favourites coming into this match, and we expect that they will record a fairly straightforward win in this one.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
Top tip
Devesh Jaganath
