2023-11-08 12:45:01
The annual table has only two dates left to close – quarter-finals, semi-finals and final of the League Cup do not add up – and there are still a whopping number of teams fighting to avoid relegation. In total there are nine committed, with six separated by just three points and Colón as last (42 units). This week there were four who forgot about relegation, at least until next year: Tevez’s Independiente, Palermo’s Platense, Dabove’s Instituto and Falcioni’s Banfield. Quartet that, incidentally, is fighting to get into the quarterfinals of the Cup thanks to its excellent second semester.
As it is, this is the panorama of those involved with the dreaded penultimate place in the annual table – the last one corresponds to Arsenal, already relegated by the averages -, ordered from least complicated to most complicated.
Central Córdoba (48 points)
The Santiago team has eight teams below and is six points behind the furthest away, making its salvation almost a fact. To materialize it, they need to score this Friday against Estudiantes (at 7 p.m.) or for either Unión or Colón to win their games. El Ferroviario was wise when choosing coach for this League Cup and with Omar De Felippe, an expert when it comes to building squads, with the promotion with Independiente as the greatest exponent, he is no less than second in Zone B and is undefeated in seven games (three wins, four draws) with just three goals conceded in that period. On the last date it is against San Lorenzo, as a visitor.
Central Tents (47 points)
El Guapo is far from having a good footballing present – last in Zone A – but his large harvest of points in previous tournaments has him looking at relegation from an acceptable distance, five away from relegation. With a victory this Monday against Instituto in Córdoba (at 9 p.m.) he is saved, although other results can also rescue him. In any case, they haven’t won for four years (two draws, two losses) and on the road they added just one of the last 21 points at play. A favorable background: in their last visit to Instituto they won 3 to 1. In the last one they went against Argentinos, playing at home in Huracán.
Tiger (46 points)
El Matador has just won two victories against all odds and gained an air that it seemed it would never have, remaining four away from relegation. And these successes, which served to end a streak of seven without winning, were also against two of the best teams in Zone B (1-0 to Godoy Cruz in Victoria and 3-0 to Belgrano in Córdoba, with a good number of bloopers pirates). Tigre suffered greatly from the sudden departure of Diego Martínez as coach in the middle of the Copa Sudamericana and, added to the sale of Mateo Retegui, it became complicated like never before. They have Platense in Victoria (Sunday at 4:45 p.m.) and Unión in Santa Fe, a potentially direct duel to avoid relegation.
The 45 club
If there is a tie in points in the relegation position when the table is closed, there will be a tiebreaker match – or matches if there are more than two clubs. The goal difference does not matter. Thus, Huracán, Vélez, Gimnasia and Sarmiento are on equal terms, with 45 points and three above the relegation zone. It could be said that it was bad timing for Lobo, Globo and Fortín to have a weak year since they suffered tremendously from the relegation by annual table: the thing is that in the averages they are more than comfortable, being 10th, 11th and 12th respectively . Quite the opposite for Verde de Junín, which is second to last in the averages and thanks heaven for the change in regulations.
Hurricane
El Globo also comes from defying logic, with its 2-1 victory against River at the Monumental. The campaign of Diego Martínez’s team is very good – third in Zone A – but a couple of recent setbacks in Parque Patricios made life difficult (1-3 with Instituto and 0-0 with Barracas). His next appointment seems unbeatable to add three, but with the Globe, often self-flagellating, you never know. He will host Arsenal this Saturday at 9pm, a rival who has been relegated for a while but has been showing signs of heroism: he has gone six without losing (two wins, four draws) and has conceded just one goal in this streak. The last date of Huracán will be in Tucumán, against Atlético.
Velez
El Fortín would be celebrating 80 uninterrupted years in the First Division in 2024. But the institutional crisis, the weak campaign in the last League and successive transfer markets with many sales and few purchases left the anniversary in potential. The Gallego Méndez team is having a good Cup -fifth in Zone A- although suffering from an irregularity rarely seen: it has not repeated a result for 14 appearances. In the tournament he has five wins and after each one came defeats (three) or draws (two). This Saturday he will visit Argentinos at 4 p.m. – there will also be internal elections – and, if he returns empty-handed, he will have one last date to rent balconies since he will receive Colón in a very direct and final duel for not relegation.
Gym
Leonardo Carol Madelón made magic since his arrival at Lobo but the waters are far from calm in La Plata. The coach took over a team that had gone 11 games without winning and has a record of four wins, three draws and two losses. Of course, the last 0-0 in Sarandí left a taste of a lost chance and now there is little margin for error for the last dates: Friday against Atlético in El Bosque (at 9 p.m.) and then against Banfield at the Florencio Sola.
Sarmiento
Under pressure, those from Junín took a gamble and changed coaches two dates ago, with the arrival of Facundo Sava and the departure of Pablo Lavallén. For now the move has gone quite well for them, adding four points out of six (0-0 with San Lorenzo and 1-0 against Newell’s in Rosario). Now they will be local to Godoy Cruz on Monday at 7 p.m., while in the last one they will visit Platense. Meanwhile, the Green waits for the return of its reference and captain, Lisandro López, out due to a tear for eight dates, coinciding with the team’s decline.
Santa Fe Union (43 points)
Tatengue has plenty of problems: it is a tying machine (11 of 18 since the arrival of Kily González), it does not score goals (ten goals in that period) and, even more serious, it has been ending its home games with incidents. He has four without a win and a single victory in his last ten appearances, so his future in Primera may depend more on his classic rival, Colón. This Sunday they will visit the not at all accessible Belgrano at 7 p.m. while on the last day they will be home to Tigre.
Columbus of Santa Fe (42 points)
What a hot iron Israel Damonte grabbed when he took charge of Sabalero two dates ago. He started with a 1-0 win over Atlético Tucumán but this Monday’s defeat at Banfield (1-2) left him alone and alone in a relegation position. The fight for permanence seems to be a matter for Santa Fe and the Sabalero fixture is not very promising either: he will receive Talleres this Sunday at 2:30 p.m. and visit Vélez in the last one. Unthinkable moment for Colón, another one who would be more than relaxed if only averages counted for relegation (he is 19th). Since its last promotion in 2014, Sabalero has had the best years in its history, being runner-up in the 2019 Sudamericana and winning the League Cup just two seasons ago, beating Racing 3-0 in the final.
League Cup Fixture
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