San Martin de San Juan – Atletico Tucuman
San Martín (SJ) returns to the top division after five seasons, thanks to their 2-0 victory over Gimnasia Mendoza in the final of the second promotion playoff at Belgrano. The team comes into the league with two consecutive wins and seven points from the last nine available at home in the second tier. Coach Raul Antuna retained most of his key players, though Santiago López departed for Banfield and Agustin Sienra returned to Defensa y Justicia. Additionally, the club added 17 new players, including Jonathan Menendez (AE Kifisia FC, Greece) and Luciano Recalde (Banfield). San Martin registered one draw and one loss in friendly matches this summer. The entire squad is available for their debut in the Liga Profesional. Atlético Tucumán defeated CA Central Cordoba 2-0 at home in their final match of 2024, allowing the team to break a three-game winless streak in the league (one draw and two losses) and enabling coach Facundo Sava to retain his position despite an inconsistent season, which saw them finish 16th in the aggregate table. In fact, El Decano managed just two points from their last 24 available away from home. Damian Martínez (from Rosario Central) is the most notable reinforcement to arrive this summer, while Nicolas Romero has left the club to sign with Minnesota United in MLS. I expect a very motivated San Martin returning after 5 years to play an open game against this Atletico with a good attack in veteran Luis Rodriguez and striker Estigarribia, so two goals look definitely possible here.