Velez (Argentina) vs Racing (Argentina)
Vélez Sarsfield had little trouble getting past Fortaleza EC in the Round of 16, winning 2-0 at home in the second leg and 2-0 on aggregate. Last Friday, they played out a goalless draw against Huracán to reach 15 points in the Clausura Tournament, sitting third in Group B. Guillermo Barros Schelotto’s side are unbeaten in their last seven matches across all competitions (five wins and two draws). At home, their unbeaten run stretches to eight games, with six victories and two draws. Braian Romero remains sidelined due to injury.
Thanks to Franco Pardo’s goal in the 94th minute, Racing Club defeated CA Peñarol 3-1 at home to secure a 3-2 aggregate win and advance to the Copa Libertadores quarterfinals. On Friday, they also earned a 2-0 home victory against San Lorenzo, ending a run of two consecutive defeats in all competitions and moving to seven points from eight Clausura Tournament fixtures (not enough to reach the playoff spots or the Copa Sudamericana qualification places in the aggregate table). Away from home, they have gone three matches without a win, with one draw and two losses.
First leg of the Quarterfinals of Copa Libertadores, and in this meeting between Argentinean teams Velez is clearly the one in better form. Besides the weekend win against San Lorenzo with a not so brilliant performance, winning only 2 of the previous 9 games and conceding in 7 of them. They will face a more confident and in-form Velez, who should at least avoid a defeat at home.