Sports Mole previews Sunday’s Argentine Primera Division clash between Instituto and Gimnasia, including predictions, team news and possible lineups.
Instituto will be hoping to quickly bounce back from their first defeat in the second phase of the Argentine Primera Division campaign when they host Gimnasia at the Estadio Presidente Peron.
Meanwhile, the visitors will be hoping to maintain their positive start to the campaign and extend their unbeaten run.
Match preview
Instituto lost for the first time in the second phase of this domestic campaign on Sunday, after a dramatic 1-0 defeat to Huracan, in a game that saw both sides finish with ten men.
Albirrojo had the opportunity to extend their unbeaten run in this competition to three matches but failed to exploit a one-man advantage after Williams Alarcon was sent off for Huracan one minute before half-time.
With the game heading for a goalless draw, Diego Dabove‘s men were also reduced to ten men after Ignacio Russo received a straight red card before Ignacio Pussetto stepped up to convert from the spot for the opposition 13 minutes into stoppage time.
Instituto won most of their points in round one on the road, and will be looking to improve their home form in the second round. However, they have not fared well in their head-to-head meetings with Gimnasia.
In 14 meetings, the hosts have won just twice, lost six and drawn six times. However, they are unbeaten in the last two games between both sides – a 1-1 draw at home and a 3-1 win away from home.
The worry, though, is that Albirrojo are winless in their last four home games across all competitions, losing three and drawing once.
After a poor first phase, Gimnasia parted ways with Leonardo Madelon and appointed Marcelo Mendez as the new manager. The Uruguayan has done an impressive job, as his side are unbeaten after three games in the second phase of the campaign.
In his first two league games, the new boss saw his side overcome Velez Sarsfield before playing out a 1-1 draw away to Defensa y Justicia, which his side could have won had it not been for a serious error by Juan de Dios Pintado which gifted Nicolas Fernandez an equaliser.
His side also booked their place in the round of 16 of the Copa Argentina by beating Atletico Tucuman on the road, with Nicolas Colazo scoring a stoppage-time winner at the end of the game.
Mendez then saw his side put three past Banfield on Sunday, scoring three times within ten minutes in the second half of the game. Next in line is a game against a side that beat them in February.
Instituto Argentine Primera Division form:
Gimnasia Argentine Primera Division form:
Team News
The home side will be without Russo for this clash as he serves a suspension for his red card last time out.
Matias Romero and Fernando Alarcon are both out with knee injuries until next month, while Roberto Bochi is also out with a knee issue until November.
The visitors will remain without Ivo Mammini, who sustained a cruciate ligament tear in March and is expected to miss a large part of the remainder of the campaign.
Rodrigo Castillo and Matias Abaldo both found the net in the win over Banfield and are expected to remain as part of a three-man attack that also includes Benjamin Dominguez.
Instituto possible starting lineup:
Roffo; Franco, Requena, Cabrera, Bay; Puebla, Dubersarsky, Cuello, Lodico; Rodriguez, Suarez
Gimnasia possible starting lineup:
Insfran; Pintado, Morales, Cabral, Colazo; Castro, Saravia, De Blasis; Dominguez, Castilo, Abaldo
We say: Instituto 0-1 Gimnasia
Gimnasia have looked like a completely different side under Marcelo Mendez and are now unbeaten in their last four games across all competitions. Meanwhile, Instituto are without a win in their last two matches.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.