Rosario Central vs Estudiantes
With some rotation implemented by head coach Ariel Holan, Rosario Central suffered their first defeat of the Torneo Clausura last weekend, losing 1–0 away to Independiente. After eight wins and seven draws, El Canalla finished first in Group B with 31 points. They also topped the annual table, securing a place in the next Copa Libertadores. At home, Central won three and drew six this semester. Ignacio Malcorra was sent off after the match against Independiente and is suspended, while Agustín Sandez returns after his international duty with Paraguay.
Estudiantes delivered a very poor performance in their last league match, falling 2–1 at home — and deservedly — to Argentinos Juniors. El Pincha suffered their third consecutive defeat in the Torneo Clausura; however, thanks to other results over the weekend, they held on to eighth place in Group A with 21 points and advanced to the playoffs. On the other hand, this negative run left them with no chance of qualifying for the Copa Sudamericana through the aggregate table, where they finished 15th. Indeed, Estudiantes collected only two points from the last 15 available away from home in this competition. Santiago Ascacíbar reached the yellow-card limit and joins Guido Carrillo, who will serve the second match of his suspension.
Estudiantes was lucky to make it to the playoffs: they needed 4 different results in the last round and got them all, but missing midfielder Ascacibar and striker Carrillo should be too much for them so I expect Rosario Central to continue with the great year they’ve been having and advance to the Quarterfinals.