Argentinos Juniors can close the gap between themselves and Defensa y Justicia to a single point in the Argentine Primera Division campaign with a victory on Friday at Estadio Diego Armando Maradona.
El Bicho are in ninth following a 1-0 road victory at Velez Sarsfield, four points behind Defensa, who are seventh despite Halcon falling 1-0 to River Plate over the weekend.
Match preview
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The Argentinos' campaign is beginning to take off, claiming victory in three successive matches in all competitions.
Gabriel Milito's men went unbeaten in their opening five home fixtures in this year's competition but have cooled off lately, dropping points in three of their previous four league games at Estadio Diego Armando Maradona.
It has been a long time since the club based in La Paternal have scored an opening half goal, with their last one coming in a 2-1 road victory at Atletico Tucuman on May 12, while three of their winning strikes domestically this year have come beyond the 70th minute.
They have posted nine clean sheets domestically in 2023, four of which were on home soil, including their previous encounter in La Paternal, winning 1-0 over Platense.
Their victory versus Velez Sarsfield was their eighth in the first phase of the current domestic campaign, one more than they managed in the opening round a season ago, though the opening phase this year has 27 matchdays, 13 more than in 2022.
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Defensa began the 2023 Primera campaign unbeaten and without a goal conceded in their opening three matches away from home, but they enter this encounter winless in three straight road outings in this competition, losing on back-to-back occasions for the first time this year.
With 33 points after 20 league fixtures, they are right in the thick of the race for a Copa Libertadores spot next season, with only four points currently separating them from San Lorenzo in third.
In his first role as a full-time professional manager, Julio Vaccari has built a solid defensive structure with this group, as Defensa have allowed the third-fewest goals in the Primera Division this season (13), including six clean sheets away from home.
Coming into this encounter, they have captured four straight matches in all competitions versus Argentinos and have not lost a competitive game against them since the 2018 Superliga campaign (2-1).
Since May, Halcon have missed numerous opportunities to climb up the Primera table, scoring first in three of their previous five domestic contests but letting seven points slip through their fingers.
Team News
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Facundo Ferreyra is not expected to return to the Argentinos lineup until the end of the month due to a calf injury, while Santiago Montiel is eligible to return after missing their match against Sarsfield with a red card suspension.
We saw five newcomers in the Juniors starting 11 last Monday who did not begin their previous league contest versus Platense as Pablo Minissale, Matias Vera, Luciano Sanchez, Javier Cabrera and Gabriel Avalos replaced Kevin Mac Allister, Jose Herrera, Franco Moyano, Montiel and Gaston Veron.
Leonardo Heredia has scored in three successive matches in all competitions, notching the lone strike in the victory over Sarsfield, with Alexis Martin Arias making three stops for the clean sheet.
Vaccari made four changes to the Defensa opening lineup against River Plate as Julian Malatini, Nicolas Tripichio, Santiago Solari and Rodrigo Bogarin replaced Nazareno Colombo, Julian Lopez, David Barbona and Gaston Togni in the starting 11.
Nicolas Fernandez has nine goals for them domestically this season, as he and Juan Miritello each found the back of the net with Ezequiel Unsain collecting a clean sheet in their previous victory, 2-0, over Belgrano.
Gabriel Alanis assisted on both of their goals the last time they faced Argentinos in this competition when Andres Rios and Togni netted in a 2-1 home triumph, while Kevin Gutierrez had the only strike in their previous road match against them in June 2022, which was enough to give them a 1-0 victory in the second round of the Copa Argentina.
Argentinos Juniors possible starting lineup:
Arias; Minissale, Torren, Villalba; Redondo; Cabrera, Sanchez, Rodriguez, Metilli; Veron, Nuss
Defensa y Justicia possible starting lineup:
Unsain; Sant'Anna, Colombo, Cardona, Soto; Gutierrez, Tripichio; Alanis, Castellani, Solari; Fernandez
We say: Argentinos Juniors 0-1 Defensa y Justicia
Defensa have been sharp on the back end away from home throughout much of the campaign, while their recent form against Argentinos and consistently strong defensive shape has us leaning towards them claiming another road victory.
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