Racing Club and Sao Paulo square off in the Copa Libertadores on Wednesday with the target of taking control of Group E.
While the visitors currently sit in top spot without conceding a goal, Racing Club will move ahead of the Brazilian outfit with victory at Estadio Presidente Peron.
Match preview
© Reuters
Racing Club have endured a frustrating start to the domestic campaign, having collected just 18 points from their opening 12 matches in Argentina's top flight.
However, their 2-1 victory over Sporting Cristal in the Copa Libertadores can act as the springboard for a prolonged run in this competition.
While they backed that result up with a surprise defeat to Central Cordoba, Juan Antonio Pizzi will be hopeful that his players can raise their game against Sao Paulo.
Juan Jose Caceres has emerged as Racing Club's key man in recent weeks, with the defender netting in three successive outings before drawing a blank at the weekend.
La Academia have gone six games without keeping a clean sheet, their last shutout coming against Independiente on April 11.
Racing Club will be satisfied with four points from two games in this tournament, but they face a battle to dislodge Sao Paulo from top spot.
Aided by a second-half dismissal for their opponents, the Brazilian giants registered a 2-0 triumph over Rentistas to seize control of the group.
Pablo got on the scoresheet during that fixture, adding to the three strikes and two assists that he has contributed in the Paulista A1.
Although Sao Paulo's eight-match winning streak came to an end at the weekend, Luciano's last-minute penalty earned his side a 2-2 draw at Corinthians.
- D
- W
- D
- L
- D
- W
- W
- L
- W
- W
- W
- W
- W
- W
- W
- D
Team News
Racing Club will have to make do without Lucas Orban after the defender was dismissed against Sporting Cristal.
Mauricio Martinez is in line to be named as his replacement in a back three, while Tomas Chancalay could be recalled after netting the winner in that game.
Sao Paulo boss Hernan Crespo will be able to call upon Leo as the centre-back has served his one-match suspension.
Veteran Miranda could drop down to the substitutes' bench, but Eder is again expected to miss out through injury.
Martin Benitez and Vitor Bueno will both be hopeful of opportunities in the final third.
Racing Club possible starting lineup:
Arias; Caceres, Dominguez, Martinez; Alcaraz, Miranda, Lopez, Piatti, Mena; Copetti, Chancalay
Sao Paulo possible starting lineup:
Volpi; Arboleda, B.Alves, Leo; D.Alves, Luan, Liziero, Reinaldo; Luciano, Benitez, Pablo
We say: Racing Club 1-1 Sao Paulo
Already holding an advantage over third place, both teams may prioritise avoiding defeat on Wednesday.
With that in mind, do not be surprised if this contest ends in a low-scoring draw, a result which will ensure that they remain on course for the last 16.
Top tip
Darren Plant
Data Analysis
Our analysis of all available data, including recent performances and player stats up until an hour before kickoff, suggested the most likely outcome of this match was a Racing Club win with a probability of 45.7%. A win for Sao Paulo had a probability of 29.91% and a draw had a probability of 24.4%.
The most likely scoreline for a Racing Club win was 2-1 with a probability of 9.27%. The next most likely scorelines for that outcome were 1-0 (9%) and 2-0 (7.31%). The likeliest Sao Paulo win was 1-2 (7.25%), while for a drawn scoreline it was 1-1 (11.42%). The actual scoreline of 0-0 was predicted with a 5.5% likelihood.
