Estudiantes have a chance to maintain their first-place standing in the second phase of the Argentine Primera Division campaign when they travel to Estadio Libertadores de America on Monday to face Independiente.
The club based in La Plata are unbeaten after four matches in this round of the domestic season, edging Sarmiento 2-1 in their previous encounter, while Los Diablos Rojos suffered their first defeat in June, 2-1 to Argentinos Juniors.
Match preview
Their quest for at least a Copa Sudamericana position by the end of the year took a hit last week as the club from Avellaneda failed to create a lot, firing only one effort on target in their previous encounter.
That loss stretched their winless run away from home in this competition to six straight games, with their last road victory coming at the beginning of May, winning 4-0 against General Caballero JLM in the group stage of the Copa Sudamericana.
From a technical standpoint, Eduardo Dominguez's group have not been as precise in their ball distributions, struggling with their build-up play, with a pass accuracy of only 73% last Thursday.
Independiente are a successful team when they can get their fullbacks involved in the attack and provide some width to either side of the field.
A victory on Monday could do them a world of good in their quest to claim a spot in one of South America's premier club competitions next season, as they currently trail Sarmiento for the last Copa Sudamericana spot by four points.
Defeating the club from La Plata has proven to be challenging for Independiente, who have beaten El Leon only twice in eight previous fixtures in this competition, winning 1-0 a year ago, ending a 90-year drought without a triumph against them domestically.
One of the most decorated clubs in Argentina outside of the big five, Estudiantes are very much in the running to capture some more silverware this season.
Los Pincharratas have not lifted a trophy since capturing the 2010 Apertura domestic title, but so far this year, they find themselves within a single point of Racing for the overall title in Argentina, and they will be facing Fortaleza in the round of 16 at the Copa Libertadores later this month.
They have left it late over their previous two encounters, but in the end Estudiantes did what was needed to capture three points and remain in the race for their first title in over a decade.
An own goal from Mario Lopez with 15 minutes remaining earned them a 1-0 win against Aldosivi, while a penalty in the 77th minute on Tuesday helped them defeat Sarmiento.
Ricardo Zielinski's men create their share of quality scoring opportunities for a side that play plenty of long balls forward, and they do not need many chances to find the back of the net, scoring on 50% of their efforts on target in each of their previous two encounters.
While we do not see too much build-up in their game, they do an excellent job of breaking lines quickly through the middle because they are so close to one another on the field, allowing for quick combination plays.
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Team News
Leandro Benegas had the only goal for Independiente in their defeat on Thursday, as he leads them with two in the second phase of this campaign, while Sergio Barreto picked up his first assist in that game, moving him into a three-way tie for first alongside Juan Manuel Insaurralde and Leandro Fernandez.
Insaurralde had the only goal in their victory over Estudiantes last year, and Sebastian Sosa made three saves to preserve the clean sheet.
Lucas Romero could be out a few more weeks following his positive COVID-19 test, Tomas Pozzo will likely miss the rest of their matches this month with an ankle injury and Damian Batallini has a broken hand.
Mauro Boselli notched a brace for El Leon in their victory earlier this week, Leonardo Godoy collected his first assist of the second phase, drawing even with teammate Emmanuel Mas, while Leandro Diaz will not be available for this game, following his red card in injury time on Tuesday.
Gustavo Del Prete, who is tied with Agustin Rogel for the team lead in goals at the Copa Libertadores (two), continues to search for his first tally in the second round of this competition.
There was one new face in the starting 11 against Sarmiento as Fabian Noguera started at centre-back alongside Rogel, with Luciano Lollo relegated to the bench at the start of that encounter.
Independiente possible starting lineup:
Sosa; Rodriguez, Insaurralde, Barreto, Vigo; Poblete, Gonzalez; Togni, Benavidez, Fernandez; Benegas
Estudiantes possible starting lineup:
Andujar; Godoy, Rogel, Lollo, Mas; Castro, Zuqui, Rodriguez, Pellegrini; Del Prete, Boselli
We say: Independiente 0-1 Estudiantes
Estudiantes seem to have found the right balance to be successful this season, and their tight defensive setup might be challenging for Independiente to break down, while El Leon make the majority of their opportunities count.
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Top tip
Joel Lefevre
