Platense vs Union
Platense face an ambiguous semester ahead. On one hand, their 2-1 home defeat to Estudiantes brought a disappointing Torneo Apertura campaign to an end, as they failed to win any of their final ten league matches (five draws and five defeats) and collected 16 points, finishing eight clear of the relegation zone in the overall standings. They also picked up only two of the last 15 points available at home in league action. On the other hand, El Calamar have important challenges ahead, with the Round of 16 of both the Copa Argentina and the Copa Libertadores awaiting. In the domestic cup, they advanced on penalties after drawing 0-0 with San Martín SJ. In continental action, they finished second in Group E. For this new challenge, coach Walter Zunino added Nicolás López from Nacional and Juan Pablo Cozzani, returning from Al Kholood Club to replace Matías Borgogno, now at Defensa y Justicia. Unión Santa Fe reached the quarterfinals of the Torneo Apertura, where they suffered a 2-0 defeat on the road against eventual champions Belgrano. Days later, they also lost 2-0 to Independiente in the Round of 32 of the Copa Argentina. Now, El Tatengue will pursue the objective of qualifying for the Copa Sudamericana, sitting five points behind the final qualifying spot in the overall standings after winning just one of their last six league matches (two draws and three defeats). Their away record is identical across their last six. Unión lost some important players during the winter transfer window, with Mateo Del Blanco sold to RC Strasbourg Alsace, Rafael Profini moving to FC Kharkiv and Mauro Pittón joining CD Tenerife. Both look improved in attack, Platense with Nicolas Lopez and Union with playmaker Ignacio Malcorra but they’ve both lost important defending players so I’ll go for the OVER here on this short totals line.