Preview: Colon vs. Belgrano - prediction, team news, lineups

It has been a difficult domestic season for Sabalero, who are 24th in the table, following a 2-0 defeat versus the league-leaders River Plate, while Belgrano have dropped to ninth, losing 2-0 against Barracas Central on Thursday.

Match preview

Coming into July on a five-match unbeaten run, it seemed like Colon were beginning to turn the corner after a rough opening to the campaign.

Instead, Nestor Gorosito has seen his side look flat in its two matches played this month, registering a combined two efforts on target against Racing Club and River Plate, respectively, while conceding more goals in those two games (six) than they had allowed in their previous seven domestic affairs (five).

Countless turnovers have cost this team in recent matches, while their aggressiveness has left them exposed in transition, forcing Colon to have to give away numerous free kicks in dangerous areas.

Although they have not beaten Belgrano in a top-flight fixture since 2017 (1-0), Sabale are unbeaten in their previous two league outings against the club from Cordoba, earning a 1-1 draw the last time out in 2019.

They have been hovering near the bottom of the table throughout the opening phase of the Primera campaign, but there is still a chance for Sabalero to match or beat its points total from the second half of last season (29), currently on 24 points with four matches remaining.

Raza have not lost all season in league play when leading in the second half, however, they have dropped eight points from winning positions, including six at home.

Belgrano have had the bulk of the possession in their last four encounters but have rarely done anything with it, failing to score in three of its previous four games.

Their current two-game losing run is only the second time since the start of this domestic campaign that Belgrano have dropped consecutive league fixtures.

This is a team that, like Colon play with width, often transitioning down the left, sending their share of long balls to that area of the field, relying heavily on its talented number nine to find the back of the net.

The El Celeste attack, however, has struggled away from home, without a goal in its last five road fixtures in this competition, losing each of those particular contests.

Guillermo Farre's men have not lost a Primera match all season when leading at the half, winning all but one of those particular encounters, with its only slip-up being a 1-1 draw on matchday 17 at home to Talleres Cordoba.

They have shown plenty of cohesion, while also looking comfortable playing out from the back, but they have had difficulty defending set pieces and have not been particularly strong in their aerial duels.

Colon Argentine Primera Division form:

D

D

W

D

L

L

Belgrano Argentine Primera Division form:

L

W

L

W

L

L

Team News

Joaquin Ibanez may be a few days away from returning to the Colon lineup as he continues to recover from a muscle injury, while Rafael Delgado is eligible for selection this weekend after being suspended in their previous encounter versus River Plate.

We saw a number of new faces in the opening lineup for Colon on Wednesday, with Paolo Goltz, Cristian Vega, Baldomero Perlaza, Thiago Yossen and Santiago Pierotti all coming into the starting 11.

Their last goal scored in this competition came courtesy of Eric Meza on matchday 21 when they drew Rosario Central 1-1, while their leading scorer Ramon Abila has not found the back of the net since notching one when his side drew Central Cordoba (2-2) at the end of May.

One change was made to the Belgrano starting 11 against Barracas Central as Franco Jara played in the attack alongside Pablo Vegetti, with Fabian Bordagaray sitting on the bench.

Vegetti, who is tied with Michael Santos of Talleres for the league lead in goals (13), has not netted in his last two games, while Nahuel Losada has conceded in four successive league fixtures since shutting out Velez Sarsfield at the beginning of June (2-0).

Ulises Sanchez is the only other Belgrano player besides Vegetti with multiple goals domestically this season (two), while he leads the team with four assists, one more than Bruno Zapelli.

Colon possible starting lineup:

I. Chicco; Garces, Goltz, Nardelli; Yossen, Perlaza, Vega, Silva, Teuten; Abila, Pierotti

Belgrano possible starting lineup:

Losada; Barinaga, Rebola, Meriano, Ibacache; Sanchez, Rojas, Castro, Zapelli; Vegetti, Jara

We say: Colon 0-1 Belgrano

Neither side have performed all that well in recent outings, but if there is a team that could break out of its current scoring slump, Belgrano seem to be the most likely, as Colon do not have a striker who can compare to Vegetti.

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