Banfield have an opportunity to do something that they have not done domestically all year: win three consecutive league contests, as they host Barracas Central in the fifth match of the second phase for both teams on Friday.
El Taladro moved into 10th place in the overall Argentine Primera Division standings thanks to a 1-0 win over Tigre, while Baraquenos are winless in this round, dropping a 3-1 decision to Boca Juniors in their previous encounter.
Match preview
Over the past few weeks, Banfield have developed a knack for the dramatic, winning their previous two fixtures by a single goal, with the decisive breakthrough coming with fewer than 10 minutes to play.
They managed to put an end to a four-match losing run at home in all competitions last Wednesday, scoring early and late to capture a 2-1 victory over C. Cordoba SE.
So far in this entire domestic campaign, Banfield have only suffered one defeat when scoring first, though they did let a pair of second half leads slip away in their final two fixtures of the opening phase, drawing the joint-overall leaders Racing 1-1 and Atletico Tucuman by that same score.
In 2022, we have seen a very offensive-minded squad who enjoy playing on the front foot, though to this point of the second phase they have not had a consistent goalscorer with the creativity to always make their 4-4-1-1 formation work effectively.
Under new coach Claudio Vivas, this team have yet to lose, showing their defensive prowess early on into his tenure, conceding a goal or fewer in four of their last five matches.
We saw a better start from Barracas Central last Sunday, but in the end they ran out of steam, losing for a second successive time on their home field.
At the tail end of the opening phase in the Argentine Primera Division, Alfredo Berti's men showed an ability to maintain focus and stay composed in enemy territory, winning three of their final four road games in the first round.
The newly-promoted side have had a difficult time maintaining a solid defensive shape, conceding the third-most goals (seven) in this round of the competition.
Los Camioneros are in a comfortable position in terms of remaining in the Argentinian top flight, sitting in 18th with 21 points overall.
With a victory in this game they can climb back into the race for a place in the Copa Sudamericana next season, currently five points behind that mark.
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Team News
Jesus Datolo tallied his first of the season over the weekend, helping Banfield blank Tigre as Enrique Bologna made six saves, collecting a clean sheet.
Giuliano Galoppo leads them with two goals domestically in this phase of the competition, with the other tally this round coming courtesy of Alejandro Cabrera, while Matias Gonzalez has one assist.
Banfied have started with the same back four over their previous three league fixtures, as Emanuel Coronel, Luciano Lollo, Gregorio Tanco and Ian Escobar have limited the amount of scoring chances that the opposition have got, conceding just once in their last three games.
Neri Bandiera scored the only goal for Barracas in their defeat last weekend, as he Ivan Tapia, Carlos Valenzuela and Bruno Sepulveda have each tallied once in the second phase.
Dylan Glaby will be suspended for this encounter after receiving a pair of cautions versus Boca Juniors, while Pablo Mouche and Nicolas Ferreyra are still searching for their first goals of the second round, after each tallying three times in the first 14 league fixtures.
We saw them make a few changes to their opening lineup on Sunday as Tapia, Mouche, Bandiera and Maximiliano Rodriguez replaced Jonathan Blanco, Juan Manuel Vazquez, Sebastian Rincon and Junior Arias.
Banfield possible starting lineup:
Bologna; Abecasis, Maciel, Gissi, Coronel; Palacios, Cabrera, Domingo, Gonzalez; Galoppo; Enrique
Barracas Central possible starting lineup:
Saracho, Rodriguez, Lecanda, Paz, Calderara; Mater, Blanco; Valenzuela, Tapia, Bandiera; Sepulveda
We say: Banfield 1-0 Barracas Central
Even though they have conceded their share of efforts on target in recent matches, Banfield are doing a good job when it comes to closing off those dangerous scoring areas in their third of the field, and we expect them to be able to contain a Barracas side still missing that attacking ingredient in the final third.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
Top tip
Joel Lefevre
