Estudiantes can keep pace with the other title contenders in the Argentine Primera Division when they head to Estadio Eva Peron on Thursday to face Sarmiento.
Verdolaga won their first match of the second phase the last time out, 1-0, over San Lorenzo, while Estudiantes are fourth in the overall table following a 1-1 draw with Godoy Cruz.
Match preview
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On matchday four, Sarmiento significantly increased their hopes of avoiding relegation with a narrow victory, their first in this competition since March.
That triumph has them seven points clear of Tigre and descent into the second tier as they claimed just their third overall win in the top flight this year.
It was only the fourth time domestically this season that they had drawn first blood, and it was only the second time they walked away with three points when doing so.
Another triumph on Thursday would match their longest winning run of the current domestic campaign and be just their second home win in the Primera Division this season.
All seven of their home defeats in this competition were by a single goal, and Israel Damonte's men failed to score in four of those instances.
With only 12 goals scored, Sarmiento have netted the joint-third-fewest goals in the Argentine Primera Division this season, failing to find the back of the net in five home contests.
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After a strong start to the second phase of this competition, Estudiantes have regressed in recent weeks, claiming just one point from their previous two domestic encounters.
Heading into their matchday three encounter with Lanus, they were on an eight-game unbeaten run in the league, but the club from La Plata have since claimed just one victory in their last four competitive fixtures.
As a result, El Leon are just two points above Argentinos Juniors for the final Copa Libertadores spot next season, while two points currently separate them from the league leaders River Plate.
Eduardo Dominguez's side are winless in their previous two away matches in all competitions, claiming a 1-1 draw at Gremio on Saturday.
Protecting a lead has been their speciality throughout this domestic season, winning nine times in this competition when scoring the opening goal.
The last time they lost a match in the Primera Division when scoring the opener was versus Sarmiento in March (3-1), their only defeat in seven prior meetings against them.
Team News
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Agustin Molina is on the long-term injured list for Sarmiento due to an ACL issue, and Nahuel Gallardo is eligible to return from his red card suspension.
Manuel Garcia had the winner in their victory over San Lorenzo, as he and Agustin Fontana are the only players on this squad to find the back of the net in this phase of the competition, while Lucas Acosta collected his first clean sheet of the domestic campaign.
On Thursday, Estudiantes could be without Javier Altamirano because of a head injury, Guido Carrillo has a sore thigh, while Santiago Ascacibar and Eric Meza are dealing with knocks.
An 86th-minute strike courtesy of Zaid Romero enabled them to collect a single point against Godoy Cruz, his first in the second phase.
Sarmiento possible starting lineup:
Acosta; E. Lopez, Paredes, Insaurralde, Arismendi; Mendez; Rosales, Burgoa, Man. Garcia, Quiroga; Azcurra
Estudiantes possible starting lineup:
Mansilla; Meza, Lollo, Romero, Mancuso; Perez; Ascacibar, Palacios, Zuqui, Cetre; Correa
We say: Sarmiento 1-1 Estudiantes
Sarmiento should have some momentum heading into this contest, but Estudiantes have reacted well when going behind recently, which is why we expect these teams to share the spoils.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
Joel Lefevre
