Sarmiento Junin vs Newell’s Old Boys

Sarmiento Junin’s quest to secure continental football continues at the Estadio Eva Peron as they meet fellow bidders Newell’s Old Boys in an exciting Liga Professional match-up.

After avoiding Liga Professional relegation by the skin of their teeth last season, Sarmiento Junin seem to have learned their lesson. Only three points adrift of the Copa Sudamericana playoff line at the start of this round, the hosts have gone unbeaten in 67% of their top-flight fixtures this season (W6, D6, L6), including the last five in a row (W2, D3). Sarmiento’s unexpected push for continental football owes much credit to a rock-solid backline that’s kept a clean sheet in four straight league matches in the lead-up to this encounter. However, ‘Verdolaga’ have only managed two shutouts in seven all-time meetings with Newell’s in all competitions, though one came in their most recent showdown last season (1-0).

In the meantime, Newell’s Old Boys responded to a 1-0 defeat at Lanus on their last Liga Professional travel with back-to-back competitive triumphs, including a 2-0 romping of Godoy Cruz in the previous round. Having only lost once in their last five league matches (W2, D2), the visitors come into this round on the periphery of the Copa Sudamericana playoff zone, trailing 9th-placed Boca Juniors by a single point. But playing on the road has been their Achilles heel this season, with ‘La Lepra’ racking up just one win in their nine away league outings thus far (D3, L5). A lack of sharpness in front of goal saw Gabriel Heinze’s team average only 0.77 goals per Liga Professional trip, highlighting the importance of keeping things tight at the back.