Instituto vs Defensa y Justicia
Instituto did everything they could in their visit to Boca Juniors two weeks ago, but were ultimately undone by the opponent’s attacking quality and fell 2-0. As a result, they have suffered three defeats in their last five league matches — alongside one win and one draw — and have collected 11 points from the same number of games in the Torneo Apertura, currently sitting outside the playoff qualification spots in Group A. However, their home form has been a clear positive, as they have taken ten of the last 15 points available at their own ground — recording three wins, one draw and just one defeat.
Defensa y Justicia continue to strengthen their identity match by match. Despite playing with ten men for nearly 60 minutes, they still managed to secure an impressive 2-0 home win over a strong Unión de Santa Fe side, with late goals from Lucas Souto and Juan Gutiérrez. As a result, they remain the only unbeaten team in the Torneo Apertura and sit third in Group A with 19 points — four wins and seven draws. As the visiting side, they have also been solid, recording three wins and two draws so far this season.
Defensa y Justicia are the only undefeated team this season after 11 games so I expect them to continue this trend against this irregular Instituto that won’t have veteran striker Franco Jara.