Independiente vs Racing
Independiente head into the Avellaneda derby in excellent form. Last weekend, the team secured a 2-1 away victory over San Lorenzo in a high-stakes clash between two of the leaders of Group B, with goals from Lautaro Millán (who returned after a long injury) and Felipe Loyola. With this result, El Rojo strengthened their position at the top of the table with 20 points and extended their unbeaten streak to five league matches (three wins and two draws). Additionally, Independiente remain unbeaten in their last 17 home games, winning 11 and drawing six since their 3-1 loss to Talleres in May 2024. Ivan Marcone is set to return after serving his suspension.
Racing Club continues to struggle in the league. In the last round, the team once again suffered from key absences, ultimately losing 1-0 at home to Huracán. This marked their fourth consecutive defeat in the Torneo Apertura, leaving Gustavo Costas’ side with just nine points, still outside the playoff spots in Group A (though they have a game in hand). As a visitor, Racing lost their last three matches in this competition. Adrian Martinez, Luciano Vietto, Gabriel Rojas and Marco Di Cesare are expected to return on Sunday after recovering from injuries.
Independiente are definitely in better form for this derby, one of the biggest in the league, but Racing will finally have back their top scorer Adrian Martinez and also Luciano Vietto so I’ll go for the OVER here as I expect an open game where anything can happen.