Talleres vs Velez
Talleres missed a huge opportunity last Sunday, as they had to settle for a 1–1 draw away to River Plate after conceding a goal just three minutes from time. It was their seventh draw in the last ten league games (alongside two wins and one loss), a run that keeps them outside the playoff zone: they have 13 points and sit just one behind eighth place. In fact, Talleres have earned only five out of 18 possible points at home in this competition. Juan Rodríguez, Juan Portillo, and Rick are available to return on Friday after recovering from injuries. Vélez Sarsfield remain stuck in a deep league crisis. Last Monday, they delivered a very poor performance and suffered an unacceptable 1-0 home defeat to Sarmiento. It was their third straight loss in the competition, and El Fortín — league champions in 2024 — are now sitting in the relegation zone with just eight points from 13 rounds. Four of those points came on the road, through one win, one draw, and four defeats. After the defeat at home vs Sarmiento, Velez are pretty much eliminated from this competition because they are 6 points behind the last playoff spot with 3 games left and too many teams above them so it’s time for them to focus in Libertadores where next week they will travel to Bolivia. Talleres are still alive, 3 points behind the top 8 so that means that they really must win here and even though they also have to play Libertadores and must win there, I think they should be more focused on this tournament and more motivated to win.