Tigre can end a lengthy domestic winless run when they host Racing Club on Friday at Estadio Jose Dellagiovanna in the third match for both sides in the second phase of the Argentine Primera Division campaign.
On Monday, the club from Victoria earned their first point in the second phase, playing to a 1-1 draw at Rosario Central, while Racing remained unbeaten in this round thanks to an emphatic 3-0 victory over Argentinos Juniors.
Match preview
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El Matador were moments away from finally claiming victory before it was snatched from them when Rosario Central equalised in the fifth minute of stoppage time.
That extended their winless run in this competition to eight consecutive matches dating back to the opening phase, which is their longest run without a victory domestically since the 2014 Torneo final (eight games).
As disappointing as it was to come so close to victory, Sebastian Dominguez will take a bit of solace in knowing that they put an end to their seven-match domestic losing run.
While they only claimed a single point, it has inched them a little closer to avoiding relegation, currently four points below Sarmiento and top-flight salvation.
Throughout the domestic campaign, Tigre have been on the cusp of winning on numerous occasions, losing six league fixtures this season by a single goal and squandering five points when scoring first.
They have not beaten Racing at Estadio Jose Dellagiovanna since a 2-0 triumph in the opening leg of their Copa Superliga quarter-final tie in 2019.
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After an inconsistent opening few matches in the first phase of the 2024 Argentine Primera Division season, the Racing attack have exploded over the past few games.
Gustavo Costas's men were held goalless in two of their opening three domestic encounters in the 2024 Primera season, but they have scored three or more times in three successive matches in this competition.
That has put them back in the hunt for the Primera title, currently sitting seventh in the aggregate table, just two points back of a place at the Copa Libertadores group stage and five behind River Plate for the overall lead.
On Friday, they can extend their unbeaten run away from home in the Primera Division to four matches, which would equal their longest run this year.
In their previous away fixture in the Primera, La Academia played to a 4-4 draw with Belgrano, conceding more goals in that encounter than they had in all of their matches on the road in the opening phase combined (three).
El Primer Grande are unbeaten in their last seven matches versus Tigre in all competitions, winning their previous visit to Estadio Jose Dellagiovanna in the Copa de la Liga last year (2-1).
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Team News
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Ijiel Protti missed the previous Tigre clash with an Achilles tendon problem, Pablo Adorno was dealing with a sore groin, Gonzalo Flores is recovering from a broken collarbone and Gian Nardelli sat out with a sprained ankle.
Nahuel Genez has a hamstring strain, Brahian Aleman is recovering from a foot issue and Juan Cruz Esquivel sat out over the weekend because of a foot injury.
Gonzalo Maroni, currently on loan from Boca Juniors, had the only goal for them in their draw versus Rosario Central on Monday.
Once again, Racing were without German Conti for their match with Argentinos due to a muscle issue, while Juan Quintero sat out because of a strain injury.
There were plenty of new faces in the starting 11 on Sunday who did not begin their matchday one encounter, with Marco Di Cesare, Agustin Garcia Basso, Agustin Almendra, Adrian Martinez and Maximiliano Salas all introduced.
Gaston Martirena, Johan Carbonero and Roger Martinez each found the back of the net over the weekend to propel them to a comfortable victory.
Tigre possible starting lineup:
Zenobio; Ortega, Lecanda, Lomonaco, Marchese; Garay, Cardozo; Galvan, Maroni, Forclaz; Contin
Racing Club possible starting lineup:
Arias; Martirena, Di Cesare, Basso, Rojas; Sosa, Nardoni, Urzi; Carbonero, A. Martinez, R. Martinez
We say: Tigre 0-3 Racing Club
For as well as Tigre played over the weekend, it has to feel rather deflating that it still was not enough for them to claim three points.
Racing are not only creating plenty of scoring opportunities, but they are also getting contributions from various sources, and we believe that balance will propel them to another comfortable victory.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
Joel Lefevre
