Arch rivals Rosario Central and Newell's Old Boys will lock horns for the Clasico Rosarino in the Argentine Primera Division on Thursday.
Both sides will be looking to return to winning ways after playing out goalless draws in their last matches against Independiente and Racing Club respectively.
Match preview
While Rosario impressed defensively away against Independiente last weekend and prevented the hosts from having a single shot on target, they were unable to find a breakthrough themselves and were forced to settle for just their fourth draw in 2022.
Since the appointment of Carlos Tevez as head coach, El Canalla have claimed only four points from a possible 12 available, so there is still plenty for his side to improve on if they are to stay clear of the bottom three.
At the time of writing, Rosario sit 23rd in the Argentine Primera Division table, just three points above the relegation zone and eight points behind bitter rivals Newell's Old Boys.
El Canalla, who have won four of their last six home matches this term, will be confident of success in the derby against La Lepra on Thursday, as they have only lost one of their last eight meetings against them, albeit losing their most recent encounter 1-0 on home soil in March.
Newell's Old Boys, meanwhile, are one of only three top-flight teams who remain unbeaten in the second phase of the season, winning and drawing four games each.
La Lepra have failed to cling on to their position at the Argentine Primera Division summit as they have drawn each of their last three matches, including last weekend's stalemate against Racing Club.
Javier Sanguinetti's side now sit second in the table and are one of four teams with 16 points along with Argentinos Juniors, Atletico Tucuman and league leaders Godoy Cruz.
Newell's Old Boys have had mixed success when travelling to Rosario Central in recent years, winning twice, losing twice and drawing once in their last five visits.
La Lepra are, however, unbeaten in their last four away league matches, including three victories, and will be motivated by the prospect of climbing back to the top of the table with a win against their city rivals on Thursday.
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Team News
Rosario duo Luca Martinez and Francesco Lo Celso are both ruled out until the end of the year with long-term knee injuries, but otherwise Tevez has no other injury concerns.
Either Juan Komar or Cristian Baez is set to start at centre-back alongside Facundo Almada, shielding goalkeeper Gasper Servio between the sticks.
Seventeen-year-old Facundo Buonanotte could retain his place in midfield with Walter Montoya, while Alejo Veliz will be hoping to replace either Jhonatan Candia or Gino Infantino in attack.
As for Newell's Old Boys, Ramiro Macagno and Leonel Vangioni are both set to miss out with muscle injuries, while Cristian Ferreira is doubtful due to illness.
Pablo Perez came off the bench in the closing stages against Racing Club after recovering from an ankle problem and the midfielder will be in contention to feature again on Thursday.
Key attacker Ramiro Sordo, who has scored four goals in his last eight league games, is expected to retain his place in the first XI alongside Juan Manuel Garcia.
Rosario Central possible starting lineup:
Servio; Cortez, Baez, Almada, Blanco; Malcorra, Buonanotte, Montoya, Ferreyra; Infantino, Candia
Newell's Old Boys possible starting lineup:
Macagno; Mendez, Ditta, Lema, Velazquez, Campagnaro; Sforza, Fernandez, Gonzalez; Sordo, Garcia
We say: Rosario Central 1-1 Newell's Old Boys
Neither team will want to come away from this fiercely-contested derby on the losing side, particularly the hosts who are precariously positioned just above the bottom three.
While Newell's Old Boys will be regarded as the slight favourites given their current form, Rosario have fared better in recent meetings against them, and we expect the hosts to claim a hard-fought point at the Estadio Gigante de Arroyito.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
Oliver Thomas
