Estudiantes can maintain their 100% record in the second phase of the 2024 Argentine Primera Division campaign when they battle Lanus on Friday at Estadio Ciudad de Lanus.
After two league fixtures in this round of the competition, Granate have just a single point, settling for a 1-1 draw with San Lorenzo in their previous encounter, while the club from La Plata defeated Deportivo Riestra 2-0.
Match preview
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Make it five consecutive matches without a league triumph for Lanus, who could not hold onto their early advantage against San Lorenzo last weekend.
That was the second time in league play this year that they had failed to emerge victorious from an encounter in this competition when scoring the opening goal, putting them two points back of a place in the Copa Sudamericana next season.
While they are winless in their last five home games in the Argentine Primera Division, Ricardo Zielinski saw his side emerge victorious from their previous match played in Lanus, 5-0 versus Metropolitano on matchday five of the Copa Sudamericana.
Zielinski was in charge of Estudiantes in 2021 and 2022, guiding them to a sixth-place finish in 2021 before falling to 18th the following year.
If they lose this upcoming fixture, it would mark the first time that Lanus have suffered three successive domestic defeats at home since the 2022 campaign.
It has been nearly seven years since they came away with three points in a Primera Division clash with Estudiantes, winning 2-0 in June 2017.
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Matchday two in the second phase saw another impressive performance by El Leon, who extended their unbeaten run in this competition to eight matches.
Over that stretch, Eduardo Dominguez's side have outscored their four domestic opponents by a combined margin of 10-1, as they are one of only three sides with a 100% record after two second-round contests, with the others being River Plate and Talleres.
Not counting the playoffs, their victory over the weekend equalled their longest domestic winning run from a season ago (four), while they have a chance on Thursday to win five successive league contests in the same campaign (excluding playoffs) for the first time since 2016.
They are currently in a heated race for the domestic title with 30 points in the overall table, three fewer than River Plate, who are first, but only one more than Argentinos Juniors, with the latter in sixth and on the outside of a Copa Libertadores place next season.
Coming into this contest, Estudiantes have won consecutive league contests away from home and could claim three successive domestic triumphs as the visitors on Thursday for the first time since April 2023.
Los Pincharratas are unbeaten in their last four away matches in all competitions versus Lanus, claiming a 2-1 victory in their previous visit there last month.
Team News
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Granate will be without Lucas Acosta, who has a sprained ankle, Leandro Diaz is dealing with a sore hamstring, Julio Soler has a strain injury and Agustin Rodriguez will be suspended.
Walter Bou notched his first goal of the second phase over the weekend, but it was all that Lanus could manage in their draw with San Lorenzo.
Javier Altamirano is not expected to return to the Estudiantes lineup until late May at the earliest, as he is recovering from a head injury.
Goals from Edwuin Cetre and Javier Correa were enough to power them to a 2-0 triumph on matchday two of this phase, as Matias Mansilla only had to make one stop to collect a clean sheet.
Lanus possible starting lineup:
Aguerre; Caceres, Munoz, Luciatti, Morgantini; Biafore; Loaiza, Torres; Alvarez; Bou, Acosta
Estudiantes possible starting lineup:
Mansilla; Mancuso, Flores, Lollo, Benedetti; Ascacibar, Zuqui, Cetre, Palacios, Piatti; Carrillo
We say: Lanus 1-1 Estudiantes
Lanus are a better team than their current record in the second phase may indicate, and we expect an even match, as the last 12 encounters between these two sides at Ciudad de Linus resulted in either a draw or a one-goal victory.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
Joel Lefevre
