Independiente have an opportunity to keep pace with the top teams in the Argentine Primera Division when they travel to Estadio Diego Armando Maradona on Thursday to face Argentinos Juniors.
El Bicho lost their first encounter of the second phase, 1-0 to Sarmiento this past weekend, while the club from Avellaneda have four points in the second stage of this competition following their 1-0 victory over Talleres Cordoba on Friday.
Match preview
After narrowly missing out on a spot in the Copa Sudamericana last season, the 2022 campaign for Argentinos Juniors has been about unfinished business and earning a place in one of the big South American competitions next year.
Their cumulative standing has them currently sitting in 12th, two points back of Union for the final Sudamericana spot in Argentina.
An impressive opening round in which they earned points in 11 of their 14 group fixtures has them within striking distance of a Copa Libertadores position and a mere five points behind Racing for first overall.
Juniors did not concede more than once at home in the first phase of the competition, going pointless in only one match played inside their famous stadium.
So far in the second round, Gabriel Milito has been forced to change his strategies numerous times because his team have trailed more often than not.
His side have conceded first in each of their previous four matches, something they rarely did in the opening phase, scoring the opener in 10 of their 14 encounters.
They have never beaten Independiente at home in this competition, though they are unbeaten against them in league play since 2019, failing to concede to them in their lone fixture last year (0-0) and in their victory in 2020 (1-0).
Throughout the current domestic campaign, El Bicho have traditionally tried to overload the midfield with a possession-based approach, which has enabled them to keep their matches close, though they have conceded in each of their last six fixtures.
Long considered a part of Argentina's Big Five, Independiente had a tough opening phase, finishing 10th in Group B, winning just three of their 14 games.
As a result, Eduardo Dominguez and his side have been forced to play catch-up, four points back of a Copa Sudamericana spot next season in the aggregate table.
El Rojo have looked sharp when scoring first, coming away with their share of points in that scenario, though they squandered a second-half advantage in their opening match of this phase, drawing San Lorenzo 1-1.
Independiente are an attack-minded team who like to throw numbers forward and press opposing sides, allowing themselves plenty of scoring opportunities, which they have struggled to convert.
Their undoing in the opening phase was a lack of intensity away from home, winning only one of their seven contests as the visitors, and that area will need improvement if they are to climb back into the race for a spot in one of South America's prestigious tournaments next year.
Rey de Copas will need to do a better job at covering the space in behind the midfield, as their aggressive press has left them susceptible to a quick counter on numerous occasions.
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Team News
Gabriel Carabajal and Thiago Nuss scored for Juniors in their opening match of the second phase, while Federico Lanzillota stopped three of the four shots that he faced, helping his side capture a 2-1 win.
Matias Galarza is the only one on the team with an assist in their two second-round matches, while Nicolas Reniero, who led them with five goals domestically last season, has not tallied in 2022-23, nor has Mateo Coronel, who had four strikes a year ago.
Pablo Minissale has a meniscus issue, Javier Cabrera could be out until late June due to a muscle injury, and the club is looking for more contributions from Gabriel Florentin, who notched two goals and two assists in their previous campaign.
Lucas Romero tallied the winner for Independiente in their victory on Friday, as Milton Alvarez stopped all four shots that he faced to collect his first clean sheet of the second phase, while Leandro Benegas had the only strike in their opening draw versus San Lorenzo.
Alan Sonora has yet to find the back of the net in this domestic campaign after tallying four goals and four assists a season ago, while Juan Isaurralde and Leandro Fernandez are the only players with an assist for them after two games.
Tomas Pozzo has an ankle injury which will keep him on the sidelines until early July, while Damian Batallini, currently on loan from Juniors, might not be ready for at least a couple of weeks due to a broken hand, and Sebastian Sosa is hoping to make his first start in the second phase of the Primera season, collecting three clean sheets in their first 14 domestic encounters.
Argentinos Juniors possible starting lineup:
Lanzillota; Mac Allister, Di Cesare, Villalba; Nuss, Vera, Coronel, Galarza, Bittolo; Veron, Carabajal
Independiente possible starting lineup:
Alvarez; Vigo, Barreto, Insaurralde, Ortega; Poblete; Romero, Gonzalez, Blanco; Fernandez, Benegas
We say: Argentinos Juniors 1-1 Independiente
There is quality on both sides, though neither have managed to bury their chances consistently, so we anticipate this will be a close game between two teams who are looking to keep pace in the early stages of this Primera Division phase.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
Top tip
Joel Lefevre
