Rosario Central vs Velez
Thanks to Santiago López’s goal in the 85th minute, Rosario Central salvaged a crucial point in their visit to River Plate last Saturday, drawing 2-2. With only one loss in 11 matches (six wins and four draws), El Canalla remain in second place in Group B with 22 points, just two behind leaders Independiente. Additionally, Central boast an impressive home streak, having won their last five matches at their stadium. Guillermo Barros Schelotto’s tenure as Vélez Sarsfield’s head coach did not get off to a good start. Last week, the team delivered a poor performance and suffered a surprising 1-0 home defeat to Deportivo Riestra. This result ended a brief run of two consecutive league wins and left them with eight points in the Torneo Apertura, just one point above the relegation zone in the aggregate table. On a positive note, Vélez won their last away match (2-1 against Atlético Tucumán), snapping a 10-game winless streak on the road (five draws and five losses). The team won 2-1 over CA Peñarol on Wednesday, April 2, in the first round of the Copa Libertadores group stage. Velez are coming from a big hard working win in Libertadores vs Peñarol, and they have a tough midweek trip to Paraguay to play Olimpia, so it’s expected that they might rotate here and use a mixed lineup. Rosario Central are in a great streak at home, rested, and they should take the 3 points against a Velez who are out of the playoffs zone.