We have an Argentine derby to look forward to in the Copa Libertadores this week as River Plate host Vélez Sarsfield in the second leg of their round of 16 tie.
The match will be played at the Estadio Monumental Antonio Vespucio Liberti on the 7th of July and the score is 1-0 in favour of the visitors going into the match.
River Plate come into the game on the back of a 3-2 defeat at Huracán in Liga Profesional Argentina on the weekend.
River Plate were up against it having had a man sent off in the 30th minute when the score was 0-0. Huracán opened the scoring just 7 minutes later and went on to take maximum points.
It is worth noting River Plate rotated their team for the defeat at Huracán but it means they have lost 3 of their last 5 fixtures in all competitions and have recorded only 2 wins from their last 7 matches. Both wins have come in the Liga Profesional Argentina.
In terms of the Copa Libertadores, River Plate are unbeaten in 6 of their last 7 games. They have won by 2 or more goals their last 3 home matches in the Copa Libertadores but have kept only 2 clean sheets in their last 9 home games in the competition. Both teams have scored in 5 of River Plate’s last 8 home Copa Libertadores fixtures.
Vélez Sarsfield make the trip to the Estadio Monumental Antonio Vespucio Liberti having previously lost 1-0 at home to Atlético Tucumán in the Liga Profesional Argentina.
The only goal of the game was scored in the 18th minute and Vélez Sarsfield could not score the equaliser despite having plenty of time to get back into the match.
That result ended a run of 3 unbeaten games for Vélez Sarsfield, who had previously beaten Rosario Central in the Liga Profesional Argentina and River Plate in the Copa Libertadores at home. They also picked up a point in the Liga Profesional Argentina at Defensa y Justicia thanks to a 1-1 draw.
Trends show there have been 3 consecutive Copa Libertadores wins in a row for Vélez Sarsfield. They have scored 1 or more goals in all their last 9 Copa Libertadores games, including each of their last 4 on the road.
Team news and River Plate are without the injured midfielder Nicolás De La Cruz but he is likely to be the only player unavailable for the hosts.
Vélez Sarsfield should have everyone fit and available for this game, meaning they will be at full strength.
With a 1 goal deficit, River Plate know they need to score and that could leave them open to the counterattack the more the game goes on. Therefore, we expect to see both teams score and over 2.5 goals, with Vélez Sarsfield coming out on top by a single goal.