Independiente – Lanus
Independiente finally claimed their first win of the 2026 season last Sunday, beating Platense 1-0 away in a very evenly contested match thanks to a 64th-minute goal from Santiago Montiel. As a result, El Rojo reached six points from four rounds of the Torneo Apertura and extended their unbeaten league run to eight matches (five wins and three draws in that spell). At home, Independiente are unbeaten in their last five domestic competitions (three victories and two draws). The full squad is at Gustavo Quinteros’ disposal to host Lanús on Friday. A 93rd-minute goal from Dylan Aquino allowed Lanús to salvage a point against Talleres last Monday, in a match they dominated for long stretches but almost ended up losing: it finished 1–1 at home. El Granate remain in excellent form, with eight points from the first four rounds of the Torneo Apertura, still unbeaten after recording two wins and two draws, which leaves them, for example, two points off the top of Group A. As a visiting side, Mauricio Pellegrino’s team have lost just one of their last six league matches (two wins and three draws). They are both still undefeated but Lanus will have two massive missings in playmaker Marcelino Moreno and striker Rodrigo Castillo, so I’m going to trust Independiente here to get a 2nd consecutive win.