Defensa y Justicia vs Aldosivi
Defensa y Justicia collapsed at the end of the Torneo Apertura. Their 2-1 defeat at Gimnasia Mendoza—their fifth consecutive league loss—left them outside the playoff places and also brought an end to Mariano Soso’s spell in charge. Julio Vaccari returned for a second stint at the club and will look to guide El Halcón back into continental competition. After collecting only 19 points during the first half of the season, Defensa sit seven points behind the final Copa Sudamericana qualifying spot in the overall standings. They also head into the Clausura having lost their last two home league matches. The club brought back Domingo Blanco from Club Tijuana and Leandro Fernández from Argentinos Juniors, while Fernando Román arrived from Aldosivi. Matías Borgogno (Platense) was signed to replace Christopher Fiermarín, who joined Atlético Bucaramanga, while Rubén Botta also departed. Aldosivi endured a dreadful Torneo Apertura. Their 1-1 home draw against Independiente Rivadavia on the final matchday capped a miserable campaign: they collected just eight points and failed to win a single game (eight draws and eight defeats). El Tiburón begin the Clausura in the relegation zone, three points behind Deportivo Riestra in the overall standings. On top of that, they took just one point from their eight away league matches. The club underwent a major squad overhaul during the winter break. Among the 17 departures, Fernando Román joined Defensa y Justicia, while many other players left after being deemed surplus to requirements by coach Israel Damonte. There have also been plenty of arrivals, including Joaquín Pombo (from Independiente del Valle) and Lucas Castro (Gimnasia LP). Aldosivi returned to competitive action last Friday with a 3-1 win over River Plate in the Round of 32 of the Copa Argentina. Aldosivi looked great in attack in their 3-1 win against River last week, Defensa y Justicia will have striker Leandro Fernandez back to make their attack stronger, so I like the chance of having at least two goals on their season opener.