Lanus vs Estudiantes
Lanús produced an excellent display of quality in a 3-0 away win over Deportivo Riestra, with Mauricio Pellegrino’s side continuing their recovery. Allan Wlk scored twice, while Felipe Peña also found the net. El Granate have now won two consecutive Clausura matches without conceding and have moved into the Group A playoff places with 13 points. They also remain in contention for a place in next season’s Copa Sudamericana, sitting three points behind the final qualification spot in the annual table. At home, Lanús have recorded two wins, one draw and two defeats in the Clausura. Matías Sepúlveda and José Canale have been called up for international duties with Chile and Paraguay respectively and are unavailable. Marcelino Moreno remains their most notable injury absence. Estudiantes earned a dramatic and important 2-1 home win over Platense with a largely second-string side, thanks to Guido Carrillo’s 91st-minute winner. The result ended a three-match winless run in the league and took Estudiantes to 10 points in the Torneo Clausura, three points behind the final playoff qualification spot. They are also eighth in the overall standings, four points behind the final Copa Libertadores qualification place. Away, Estudiantes have lost all four of their Clausura matches without scoring a single goal. Before their next league fixture, they won 1-0 away at SC Corinthians on Wednesday, September 16, for the second leg of the Copa Libertadores quarter-finals and advanced to the semi-finals thanks to a 2-1 win on aggregate. Estudiantes should be tired here after the midweek trip to Brazil where they beat Corinthians and without Tiago Palacios their attack should suffer so I expect a tight game between two solid teams that won’t see a draw as a bad result.