Nicaragua Primera Division club Real Esteli host Juventus Managua on Wednesday night at the Estadio Independencia. Real Esteli are second in the Primera and three points behind top of the table team Managua.
Real Esteli are two matches without a win in the Primera which has allowed Managua to pull away slightly in the race for the league title. Last weekend, the club lost 1-0 to Walter Ferretti.
Juventus Managua are coming off of a shock 3-0 win against third-place Diriangen last time out. All three goals came in the second half as Alex Moreno, Alexis Somarriba, and Allan Mercado all found the back of the net to give Juventus Managua the surprise win.
The away side will be up against a difficult opponent who are 11 points ahead of them in the table. Real Esteli have been brilliant defensively despite conceding one goal last weekend. El Tren del Norte have allowed a mere nine goals during the clausura.
Juventus Managua have not been great in defence. They have allowed 21 goals in 14 matches while scoring 20 times.
The away side have taken four points from their last two matches versus Real Esteli. However, those games were played at Juventus Managua’s stadium.
Their last three trips to Real Esteli all ended in losses for Juventus Managua. Real Esteli outscored Juventus Managua 10-3 during those three matches.
Real Esteli are unbeaten in six straight matches in all competitions. Five of those fixtures ended in wins. Meanwhile, Juventus Managua have blown hot and cold on the road. They have won three and lost three games away from home over the course of their last six fixture.
Four of the last six games between Real Esteli and Juventus Managua ended with both teams finding the back of the net. In addition, four of those six fixtures ended with over 2.5 goals going into the back of the net.
Real Esteli player Luis Acuna goes into the midweek fixture with four goals in the Primera clausura. Jorge Betancur has chipped in four more strikes. The duo has been excellent in front of goal as Real Esteli have tallied a league leading 24 goals in the Clausura.
Wednesday night’s game should once again see Real Esteli pick up a win versus Juventus Managua. The two sides should also combine for over 2.5 goals as they both find the back of the net in an exciting fixture.