Lanus and Independiente Medellin will face off in the Copa Sudamericana quarterfinals, clashing at Estadio Ciudad de Lanus - Nestor Diaz Perez for the first leg on Thursday.
Alejandro Restrepo's side will aim to break their seven-game winless streak on the road in all competitions and secure a first-leg advantage heading back to Colombia.
Match preview
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Lanus carried their fine form from the Sudamericana group stages, where they picked up four wins and one draw from their six matches to collect 13 points and finish as Group G winners, into the round of 16.
The Argentine side made light work of Ecuadorian side LDU Quito across both legs of their round of 16 tie, picking up a 2-1 win in the first leg away from home before sealing passage into the quarterfinals with a 3-1 win in the second leg, making it a 5-2 victory on aggregate.
Ricardo Zielinski's men head into the first leg of their quarter-final tie on a six-match unbeaten run, including four draws and two wins. However, these two wins came in the Sudamericana.
The Garnet are winless in their last five Argentine Primera Division matches, which includes the four draws and a defeat, and this has left them 13th in the table with 19 points after 14 matches.
Zielinski will hope his side can put aside their league form and pick up from where they left off in this continental competition when they welcome Colombian side Medellin to their home, with the two teams having never faced each other before.
Lanus can count on their home form for this clash, as the Garnets have not lost any of their last seven home matches, which has included four wins and three draws – the last time they lost on home soil was against Cuiaba in the Sudamericana.
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Independiente Medellin salvaged a 2-2 draw against Palestino in the first leg of their Copa Sudamericana last-16 tie before securing a comfortable 4-0 victory at home in the second leg, clinching a 6-2 aggregate win.
Back in the Colombian Primera A, Restrepo's side have endured a disappointing Clausura campaign so far, currently sitting in 16th with eight points from eight matches.
El Rojo Paisa have failed to win any of their last four league matches, drawing two and losing two, while they have only secured one victory in their four matches across all competitions since the second leg triumph over Palestino – a 2-0 win over Junior in the Copa Colombia.
Medellin's away form will be a significant concern heading into Thursday's match, as the visitors are winless in their last seven away games across all competitions, suffering two defeats and drawing five.
Team News
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Lanus will head into this clash without a couple of players who are out injured, including Bruno Cabrera who has a broken ankle.
Ezequiel Munoz and Eduardo Salvio are also sidelined with muscle injuries, while Felipe Pena Biafore is doubtful.
Walter Bou, who has seven goals for the hosts in this competition, will be the man to watch out for when he is expected to lead the line.
Meanwhile, the visitors have only one injury concern ahead of this game, as centre-back Joaquin Varela is currently nursing a ligament injury.
Brayan Leon has scored six goals for Medellin in the current Sudamericana campaign, the most by any player in the team, and he will be looking to add more when he plays in attack on Thursday.
Lanus possible starting lineup:
Losada; Morgantini, Izquierdoz, Dominguez, Soler; Loaiza, Perez; Moreno, Alvarez, Aquino; Bou
Independiente Medellin possible starting lineup:
Chaux; Londono, Torijano, Ortiz; Ronterio, Alvarado, Perlaza, Moreno, Fory; Leon, Sandoval
We say: Lanus 3-1 Independiente Medellin
Lanus have demonstrated their strength in this competition and on home soil, which could prove too much for Medellin to handle.
The visitors have performed poorly away from home and have struggled in recent weeks as well, which is why we predict them to lose this match.
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