Seventeenth-placed Gimnasia and 22nd-placed Independiente are separated by three points in the Argentine Primera Division table ahead of Friday's clash at the Juan Carmelo Zerillo Stadium.
Gimnasia served up an entertaining draw with Newell's Old Boys last time out, while Independiente claimed a narrow victory over Huracan, although both sides remain in the bottom half.
Match preview
Thanks to early goals from Benjamin Dominguez and Cristian Tarragona, Gimnasia cruised into a 2-0 lead inside 25 minutes against Newell's Old Boys, but the hosts ended up scoring either side of half time to snatch a share of the spoils.
Despite seeing just 35% of the ball, Gimnasia managed to rack up 13 shots, but they failed to hold onto their advantage, meaning that Los Triperos head into Friday's showdown on a three-game winless run across all competitions.
On top of that, Gimnasia have managed to win just one of their last seven outings, recording four draws and two losses along the way, and they have also failed to score in four of their previous six league encounters.
With that in mind, it is hardly surprising that only six of the Primera Division's 28 teams have netted fewer goals than Sebastian Romero's men in 2023, while only two sides have conceded more than Gimnasia's 29.
Still, El Lobo can take confidence from their strong home record, as they have lost just one of their last nine league matches at the Juan Carmelo Zerillo Stadium, picking up five wins and three draws for good measure.
When Independiente started the 2023 Primera Division campaign with a run of one victory in 13 games – recording seven draws and five defeats in the process – the Avellaneda outfit looked destined to endure a difficult season.
Although the Red Devils have turned things around since then – recording four wins, two draws and three defeats across their past nine outings – they have failed to establish any sense of consistency this year.
Independiente enter Friday's clash on the back of a 1-0 victory over Huracan, with Martin Cauteruccio netting the winner on the stroke of half time, meaning that El Rojo have won four of their previous five matches on home soil.
However, Ricardo Zielinski's men have failed to take their home form on the road, as Independiente have lost five of their last six away games, conceding at least two goals on five occasions while firing three blanks.
When you look at the bigger picture, the Red Devils have failed to win any of their previous 10 away league games, recording five draws and five losses, and they have also failed to score in six of those encounters.
Team News
Gimnasia are still without long-term injury absentees Lautaro Chavez (ligament) and Matias Miranda (ACL), who have not featured for the club this season.
Matias Melluso (muscle) has also missed the past few games through injury, meaning that Nicolas Colazo will continue to deputise at left-back, with Guillermo Enrique occupying the right-back role.
At the opposite end of the pitch, Cristian Tarragona will continue to lead the line, while Benjamin Dominguez, Alan Lescano and Franco Torres will operate behind the lone striker in a 4-2-3-1 formation.
On the flip side, Independiente's injury list contains attacking midfielder Tomas Pozzo and left winger Rodrigo Marquez, who are both sidelined due to ruptured cruciate ligaments.
Ricardo Zielinski will likely opt for his favoured 4-4-2 formation, meaning that Matias Gimenez Rojas will join Martin Cauteruccio in the forward line.
Gimnasia possible starting lineup:
Durso; Enrique, Morales, Sanchez, Colazo; Miramon, Sanchez; Torres, Lescano, Dominguez; Tarragona
Independiente possible starting lineup:
Rey; Gomez, Baez, Elizalde, Costa; Martinez, Ortiz, Marcone, Sarrafiore; Cauteruccio, Rojas
We say: Gimnasia 1-0 Independiente
Given that Independiente have lost five of their last six away league games while failing to win any of their previous 10, we expect Gimnasia to inflict a fourth successive away defeat on the Red Devils.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
Top tip
Ben Morris
