Velez Sarsfield and Defensa y Justicia will do battle at Estadio Jose Amalfitani on Saturday in round nine of the second phase of the 2024 Argentine Primera Division campaign.
The hosts will be looking to make it four wins on the bounce, while their visitors head to Buenos Aires winless in 13 consecutive games across all competitions.
Match preview
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Buoyed by their run to the Copa Liga Professional final last time out which ended in a defeat to Estudiantes on penalties, Velez Sarsfield were tipped to enjoy an impressive campaign this term.
However, Gustavo Quinteros's men came out on top in only one of their opening five league encounters, picking up just five points in that time.
A run of three straight wins since then has seen El Fortin move up to fifth place in the Argentine Primera Division table, just four points off leaders Huracan.
More impressively, Velez's aforementioned three victories have yielded a combined score of 7-0, highlighting their change in fortune at both ends of the pitch.
Saturday's hosts will now set out to continue their recent resurgence on home turf, where they are unbeaten in 10 straight games since February.
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Off the back of a sixth-place finish last time out, Defensa y Justicia kicked off their league journey with a 3-1 defeat to Huracan on May 11, and that has set the tone for a disastrous campaign to date.
Francisco Meneghini's men have managed just five points their eight Primera Division outings so far, leaving them 25th in the standings out of 28 teams.
El Hacon have also been knocked out of the Copa Sudamericana group stages having finished third in Group A behind Independiente Medellin and Always Ready.
With the added commitment of continental football now out of the way, Defensa will hope to get their season back on track at the expense of a Velez side against whom the last four encounters have ended in a share of the spoils.
Team News
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Yeison Gordillo has not featured for Velez Sarsfield since the turn of the year, and the Colombian is still a considerable way off returning to full fitness.
Damian Fernandez and Valentin Gomez also miss out through injury, while Emanuel Mammana is suspended after receiving his marching orders against Central Cordoba last time out.
Mammana's unavailability here should see Aaron Quiros feature come into the hosts' lineup for his first start since joining from Banfield.
Long-term absentees David Barbona and Gaston Togni remain ruled out for Defensa as Nicolas Tripichio prepares to sit out a fourth straight game.
Rodrigo Bogarin is making progress in his recovery from a muscle injury, but this weekend's affair is expected to come too soon for the 27-year-old.
Abiel Osorio has found the back of the net in two of his last four substitute appearances and could be rewarded with a start in this one.
Velez Sarsfield possible starting lineup:
Marchiori; Gomez, Pernicone, Quiros, Guidara; Bouzat, Ordonez; Fernandez, Aquino, Pizzini; Romero
Defensa y Justicia possible starting lineup:
Fiermarin; Ferreira, Aguilera, Ramos; Portillo, Lopez, Gutierrez, Galvan; Molinas, Miritello, Osorio
We say: Velez Sarsfield 2-0 Defensa y Justicia
Velez Sarsfield will head into this one with the wind in their sails and unsurprisingly so given recent results.
Defensa y Justicia, on the other hand, are in need of a pick-me-up, but we expect their misery to continue at the sound of the final whistle here, with the home side claiming a relatively routine triumph.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
Adepoju Marvellous
