With the opening phase of the Argentine Primera Division coming down the home stretch, Newell's Old Boys can end a five-match winless run in that competition when they return to Estadio Libertadores de America for a date with Independiente on Tuesday.
El Rojo were minutes away from claiming a second successive 1-0 victory but ultimately settled for a 1-1 draw at Gimnasia, while Newell's had an eight-match unbeaten run in all competitions end when they were beaten 2-0 by Central Cordoba.
Match preview
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Another match with little possession and few chances taken appeared to be working for Independiente on Friday, but their complacency cost them at the bitter end as they gave up a 95th-minute equaliser and dropped two points.
Giving away advantages has been a recurring theme for this team throughout this domestic campaign, as Los Diablos Rojos have failed to win seven domestic fixtures this season when scoring first, a 14-point drop which could have them up to fifth instead of their current position in 21st.
Independiente have been much sharper at home since Ricardo Zielinski took charge in mid-April as this group are unbeaten in their last six league fixtures, played in Avellaneda.
Their pressing has been particularly sharp under their 63-year-old coach, with these players creating plenty of counter-attacking situations which they have often capitalised on, scoring twice in their last two games despite only registering a total of three efforts on target over that span.
If they can win their final four matches in the opening round of this competition, Independiente will match their win total from the second-phase last year (nine) and eclipse the number of points claimed from that same stage (35).
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As usual, Gabriel Heinze saw his Old Boys side have a lot of the ball Friday but they failed to do much with it, losing their first league fixture since May despite having 60% of the possession.
That number is about the average amount of possession for this team in a domestic encounter, though La Lepra have failed to win their last five matches in all competitions when having over 60% of the ball or more.
Two of their previous three league triumphs have occurred when Newell's have had fewer than half the possession over 90 minutes, with its quick transitions down the middle often catching their opponents off guard.
Although they have not claimed three points in the Primera since late May (2-0 win over Godoy Cruz), the club from Sante Fe have often been able to rescue themselves from bad situations, coming back four times to earn a point this season.
One thing Newell's have done consistently well all season is maintain their advantages, winning seven domestic encounters without reply in 2023 when scoring first, claiming at least a point in every match when doing so.
Team News
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Zielinski made two changes to his starting 11 against Gimnasia, with Baltasar Barcia and Kevin Lopez coming into the lineup in place of Martin Sarrafiore and Matias Gimenez Rojas.
Braian Martinez gave them the lead in their Friday fixture, his first of the campaign with Rodrigo Rey stopping five of the six shots that he faced, enabling them to earn a point, but conceding a stoppage-time goal to Benjamin Dominguez.
Martin Cauteruccio has 11 goals for them domestically so far, two fewer than Michael Santos and Pablo Vegetti for the league lead, with his last one coming in their 1-0 home triumph versus Huracan when Rey only had to make one stop.
Fabian Angel missed another match for Newell's this week because of a knee injury, while Heinze made four changes to his opening lineup on Friday with Facundo Mansilla, Angelo Martino, Lisandro Montenegro and Armando Mendez replacing Bruno Pitton, Victor Velazquez, Ivan Gomez and Ramiro Sordo.
Guillermo Ortiz and Montenegro were the last players to score for them in this competition in that draw versus Gimnasia (2-2), while their leading scorer Jorge Recalde (five) has been shut out in his last two domestic appearances.
Marcos Portillo had three goals for this team in the group stage of the Copa Sudamericana, with Gomez scoring twice, though neither have been able to find the back of the net in this competition so far.
Independiente possible starting lineup:
Rey; L. Gomez, Baez, Elizalde, Costa; S. Ortiz, Salle, Marcone, Barcia; B. Martinez, Cauteruccio
Newell's Old Boys possible starting lineup:
Hoyos; Mosquera, G. Ortiz, Velazquez; Mendez, Perez, Portillo, Ferreira; Perez Tica; Recalde, Aguirre
We say: Independiente 1-0 Newell's Old Boys
Independiente have grown a lot since the arrival of Zielinski, showing more composure when in possession and limiting the giveaways we saw earlier this season.
Before this week, Newell's had often done enough to earn points, but they have lacked that killer instinct in front of goal, which can often make the difference between winning and losing.
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