Sports Mole previews Saturday’s Argentine Primera Division clash between Independiente and San Lorenzo, including predictions, team news and possible lineups.
Snapping a three-game winless run will be the objective for Independiente when San Lorenzo come visiting Estadio Libertadores de America on Saturday.
While the visitors played out a stalemate in their last involvement, they are now unbeaten in three straight matches and will be looking to continue their upturn in form.
Match preview
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Independiente’s away struggles came to the fore yet again following a 1-0 defeat to Independiente Rivadavia at Estadio Malvinas Argentinas on Sunday.
Despite boasting almost two-thirds of the ball possession, Julio Vaccari‘s men failed to score for the second straight game, but unlike their 0-0 draw against Barracas Central on July 24, they came away empty-handed this time around.
Los Diablos Rojos have now picked up just one win from their last three league outings, finding the back of the net just once which came in a 3-1 loss to Instituto on July 19.
Off the back of a disastrous league campaign last time out, Independiente are showing no signs of a renaissance as the team from the capital currently sit 22nd in the Argentine Primera Division table.
They will now set out to get themselves back on track in front of their fans and having lost just one of their last 10 home games since early March, Saturday’s hosts have reason to be confident heading into this weekend’s affair.
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San Lorenzo’s persistence saw them earn a 1-1 draw against Newells Old Boys last time out as Sebastian Blanco struck in the 80th minute to cancel out Ignacio Ramirez‘s opener.
Leandro Romagnoli‘s men still await back to back wins for the first time this season, although picking up five points from the last nine available has sparked a revival.
El Ciclon were all over the place in the early exchanges of the campaign, where they managed just one point from the opening four matches, but their recent resurgence is a much-needed boost ahead of a crucial run of matches.
Saturday’s visitors follow up their trip to Avellaneda with domestic clashes against Velez Sarsfield and Atletico Tucuman, before taking on Atletico Mineiro in the Copa Libertadores.
Independiente Argentine Primera Division form:
San Lorenzo Argentine Primera Division form:
San Lorenzo form (all competitions):
Team News
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Forward Matias Gimenez is still unavailable for Independiente due to a knee problem which has kept him out of action since mid-March.
The home side will be without the services of Lucas Gonzalez for the second straight game as he continues to nurse an injury, while Adrian Sporle is suspended.
This should see Damian Perez return to the starting lineup off the back of a surprising exclusion last time out.
Long-term absentees Agustin Hausch and Gaston Hernandez remain sidelined for San Lorenzo and are not expected to return to action anytime soon.
Sebastian Blanco will be pushing for a start here having been on target for the away side less than 10 minutes after coming on as a substitute against Newells Old Boys.
Independiente possible starting lineup:
Rey; Perez, Laso, Fedorco, Salle; Marcone, Martinez; Hidalgo, Luna, Lopez; Canelo
San Lorenzo possible starting lineup:
Altamirano; Arias, Romana, Campi, Braida; Leguizamon, Remedi, Irala, Barrios; Tarragona, Cuello
We say: Independiente 0-1 San Lorenzo
The teams are neck-and-neck in the league standings, and we expect that to translate into a tight affair this weekend.
That said, we just about fancy San Lorenzo to scrape a narrow victory at the sound of the final whistle in Buenos Aires.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.