Talleres travel to Junin to face Sarmiento in the Argentine Primera Division on Thursday night still with outside dreams of the title.
There are just five games left of the campaign and the gap to leaders River Plate looks near-unassailable, but some favourable fixtures will leave the Talleres faithful still hopeful.
Match preview
Those hopes were dealt a heavy blow last weekend though, when Talleres failed to win for a second consecutive outing.
With River losing to Barracas Central, Talleres were unable to take advantage, only managing a draw at home to Godoy Cruz.
The title challenge is just about still alive, but a nine-point gap looks almost insurmountable at this stage.
The only shred of optimism left will be that River's slip up last week may bring some nerves into the equation, and they face top-seven sides in three of their next four encounters.
Whereas, for Talleres, all of their remaining matches are against sides currently below 13th, so will enter all of them as the fancied side.
They have hit a rocky run of form at the worst possible time though, picking up just one point from their last two games.
It comes after a formidable streak between early May and the international break in mid-June, which saw Javier Gandolfi's side collect 19 points from a possible 21.
Recent struggles have opened the door for San Lorenzo and Lanus to creep up behind in the hunt for a group stage berth in the Copa Libertadores next year though.
Regardless of how the season ends though, it will be a fantastic finish for Talleres, as they have been perennial mid-table dwellers apart from a third-place finish in 2021.
Sarmiento should provide a tough test for Gandolfi and his men though, given that only league leaders River have beaten them on home soil since March.
The eight home matches they have played in that time have yielded 15 points, all of which have been vital in keeping them away from trouble at the bottom.
A record of seven wins and seven draws from 22 games this season has been very respectable, as they also have one of the finest defensive records in the division - letting in just 20 goals so far, the same as their upcoming opponents.
The side does not have much to play for now though in the latter stage of the season, apart from improving their coefficient tally, with only Arsenal Sarandi, Instituto and Platense below them in those standings.
Safety being assured for this campaign at least may have had a slight impact on the fact that Israel Damonte's side have won only one of their last six matches heading into this one.
Team News
Goalkeeper Jose Devecchi made his first appearance for the club in the defeat at Boca Juniors last weekend, and he is currently the only senior keeper at the club.
That is after Sebastian Meza's loan deal ended and he returned to parent club Huracan on July 1, after featuring in the 4-1 thrashing of Atletico Tucuman the week previous.
Ex-Talleres midfielder Jose Mauri remains out after picking up an injury all the way back in gameweek two, and he joins Yair Arismendi and Federico Paradela on the sidelines.
Vicente Fernandez is the only current injury concern for Talleres as his frustrations continue, having only played twice since arriving from Palestino.
Attacker Michael Santos has been one of the league's standout players this season and currently tops the scoring charts with 16 goals to his name.
In addition to his fine goalscoring record, Santos also has five assists, with only two players in the league having managed more, one of whom is teammate Diego Valoyes, who is expected to flank him in this one.
Sarmiento possible starting lineup:
Devecchi; Bettini, Garcia, Insaurralde, Sbuttoni, Diaz; Rosso, Mendez, Quiroga; Melano, Gondou
Talleres possible starting lineup:
Herrera; Benavidez, Catalan, Palacios, Portillo; Ortegoza, Villagra, Garro; Valoyes, Santos, Sosa
We say: Sarmiento 0-1 Talleres
Sarmiento have a fine home record and have been stout defensively for much of the campaign, but they will face a huge test against the side currently second in the table.
Talleres should take plenty of confidence into this tie too, considering they are unbeaten in the last six meetings against their opponents.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
Top tip
Andrew Delaney
