Barracas Central vs Gimnasia match will happen at Claudio Fabian Tapia Stadium in Buenos Aires on Thursday, looking for their first win away from home since the middle of August.
This match will be Gimnasia’s first away game since the middle of August. The club from La Plata is one point behind River Plate in the race for an automatic berth in the group stage of the Copa Libertadores for the upcoming season.
Los Camioneros have not been defeated in their last six matches in a row while competing in the second phase of the Argentine Primera Division season.
Our Match Preview: Barracas Central vs Gimnasia
Barracas’ second round of league play began with five losses. Since that challenging start, manager Rodolfo de
Paoli, who led them to the top division last year, has gotten the best out of his players. They are presently 14th taken together standings.
Their 1-0 loss against Velez Sarsfield halted a three-match undefeated streak, the equal longest of this season’s second round. This is their first participation in the Primera Division in almost 80 years.
Six of their seven wins in this round came at Claudio Tapia Stadium, where they have allowed one goal or less in six straight games. With six league matches left, they may still qualify for the Copa Sudamericana group stage next season, behind Newell’s Old Boys by six points.
Gimnasia lost 1-0 in another close defensive fight this weekend. That setback against Tigre was their first at home in this part of the league.
It stopped them from leapfrogging River Plate for third taken together standings, as La Banda were thrashed 1-0 by Talleres Cordoba on Saturday.
Nestor Gorosito has used a typical 4-4-2 formation throughout this season of Primera Division, and his players have done an excellent job limiting opponents’ time and space. They have allowed 12 goals, level with Atletico Tucuman, but have only scored eight times.
Both clubs met twice last year in the Primera Nacional. Thursday will be the first time they meet in the Argentine top division. Gimnasia drew 1-1 in Guapo in 2021 and won 2-1 at La Plata last season.
Our Team News: Barracas Central vs Gimnasia
In their most recent home game, a 3-1 victory against Godoy Cruz, Bruno Sepulveda scored his team-high sixth goal of the tournament, Dylan Glaby scored his first since joining them on loan from Deportivo Moron, and Neri Bandiera is tied for fourth in the league with four assists.
Rodrigo Saracho has started the previous two league games despite Cristian Arce keeping two straight clean sheets at home against Colon and Lanus, while Ivan Tapia is second on the club in goals and assists with three in each category.
Thomas Gutierrez has been battling gastrointestinal issues and will not be available for a few weeks, while Brian Calderara’s thigh injury may prevent him from returning in time for this game.
Sebastian Rincon is anticipated to return from his groin injury in early October. Gimnasia’s Brahian Aleman has scored four goals and assisted on five this season in Argentina, while the team’s Rodrigo Rey has had four clean sheets on the road.
While Ramon Sosa leads the club with two goals and two assists, Cristian Tarragona and Leonardo Morales are tied for second with three goals each during the domestic season. A shoulder injury has ended the season for German Guiffrey, and this past weekend saw Benjamin Dominguez replace Alexis Steimbach in the starting lineup.
- Barracas Central possible starting lineup: Saracho, Diaz, Paz, Ferreyra, Blasi, Blanco, Tapia, Valenzuela, Glaby, Colman, Sepulveda.
- Gimnasia possible starting lineup: Rey, Enrique, Morales, Piris, Colazo, Sosa, Cardozo, Aleman, Muro, Soldano, Contin.
Our prediction: Barracas Central 0-0 Gimnasia
Gimnasia’s defense has been a problem for opposition teams to deal with, and we anticipate that Los Triperos will play a defensive game on Thursday, encircling Barracas with a large number of men at every turn in a contest that may have few opportunities for either side.
