A pair of undefeated sides in the second phase of the Argentine Primera Division campaign will square off on Monday as Union play host to Barracas Central at Estadio 15 de Abril.
Each side failed to hold a 1-0 advantage in their previous league contest, as El Tate claimed a 1-1 draw with Instituto, while Barracas came away with the same result against Sarmiento.
Match preview
Union have been consistently earning points domestically, but they are also leaving their share of points on the table.
The club from Santa Fe have lost just one of their last six Primera Division encounters but have let six points slip away over the span when either scoring first or being ahead at the interval.
Those six points are what currently separate them from Barracas in the overall table, with Union sitting three points behind Lanus for a place in the Copa Sudamericana group stage next year.
After a rough start to their domestic home season, going winless in their first three outings, Kily Gonzalez has seen his side claim at least a point in four of their previous five league fixtures at Estadio 15 de Abri.
With a victory on Monday, they will match their longest winning run at home in this competition from the opening phase (two), with Tatengue currently boasting half as many home triumphs as they had in the 2023 domestic campaign (3/6).
Consistency has been the name of the game at Barracas throughout the Primera Division season, with this side losing just one of their last six matches.
Guapo are in the mix to claim the Primera Division title, with just three points separating them in sixth from the league leaders River Plate, while they are only a point behind Racing Club for a spot in the Copa Libertadores group stage next season.
To this stage of the 2024 top-flight campaign, Barracas have points in all but two away fixtures (2-0 defeat versus Gimnasia and 3-0 versus Estudiantes), while four of their six clean sheets have occurred on the road.
Barequenos have never beaten Union in league play, but they managed to win their only previous away match against them (1-0), in the opening round of the 2019 Copa Argentina, in a match played at Estadio Julio Humberto Grondona.
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Team News
Mateo Del Blanco is dealing with a sore ankle, Francisco Gerometta continues to recover from knee surgery and Patricio Tanda has a muscle injury, and all three Union players are expected to return next month.
Nicolas Orsini, currently on loan from Boca Juniors, scored the only goal for the club last weekend in their away draw with Instituto.
Due to an ACL issue, Lucas Lopez is not projected to return to the Barracas fold until early June, while Maximiliano Puig will not be back from his tendon injury until the middle of next month.
A fifth-minute strike courtesy of Rodrigo Insua was all Los Camioneros could manage on the scoresheet against Sarmiento a week ago.
Union possible starting lineup:
Cardozo; Vera, Paz, Pardo, Corvalan, B. Pitton; M. Pitton, Mosqueira, Diale; Orsini, Balboa
Barracas Central possible starting lineup:
Moyano; Mater, Capraro, Goni, Insua; Herrera, Rosane; Duarte, Coronel, Zalazar; Dominguez
We say: Union 1-1 Barracas Central
These two teams have played in their share of close games over this campaign, and they have rarely come away with nothing, which is why we project that both will manage to earn something from this match.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
Joel Lefevre
