Having met in the round of 16 of the Copa Libertadores, Velez Sarsfield and River Plate now lock horns in round eight of the Argentine Primera Division on Monday.
Velez Sarsfield continue to s find it difficult to pick up positive results away from home as they fell to a 2-1 defeat against a 10-man Colon side last Tuesday.
Diego Gomez and Facundo Garces scored for either side to end the first half all square, but Ramon Abila found the net in the 53rd minute to put Colon ahead before Ignacio Chicco made an important stop to deny Lucas Janson an equaliser from the spot in the 80th minute.
That followed a goalless away draw against River Plate in the second leg of their Copa Libertadores tie which saw them secure a spot in the quarter-finals through a 1-0 victory in June’s reverse leg.
Velez Sarsfield’s slow start to the season has been largely due to their lasck of sting at the attacking end of the pitch, where they have scored just five goals so far.
Meanwhile, River Plate kept their Copa Argentina title hopes alive last time out when they claimed an impressive 3-0 victory over Barracas Central in the round of 32.
Milton Casco netted the opening goal in the 21st minute before Augustin Palavecino scored a second-half brace to cap off a fine individual performance, while David Martinez received his marching orders in that occasion.
Marcelo Gallardo’s side now turn their attention to the Primera Division, where they have lost each of their two most recent matches, suffering defeats against Huracan and Godoy Cruz respectively.
Having picked up eight points from a possible 21, River Plate are currently 17th in the league table but could climb as high as 11th place with all three points on Monday.
Velez Sarsfield vs River Plate head to head
The two teams have previously met on 48 occasions across all competitions, where River Plate have claimed 18 victories while Velez have won 14, and they have drawn in 16. Velez have scored 41 goals and conceded 51. In their last five meetings, Velez have won two, River Plate one with two draws.
River Plate 1-2 Velez Sarsfield 23/09/19
River Plate 2-0 Velez Sarsfield 15/08/21
River Plate 0-0 Velez Sarsfield 06/02/21
Velez Sarsfield 1-0 River Plate 30/06/22
River Plate 0-0 Velez Sarsfield 07/07/22
Velez Sarsfield latest home form
Velez Sarsfield have recently kept a patchy run of form at home, as they have lost two of their five most recent matches. They lost 1-0 to Atletico Tucuman in their last home game in the league. In their last five matches, they have scored four goals and conceded two.
Velez Sarsfield 1-0 Independiente Rivadavia 09/06/22
Velez Sarsfield 0-1 Platense 13/06/22
Velez Sarsfield 2-0 Rosario Central 21/06/22
Velez Sarsfield 1-0 River Plate 30/06/22
Velez Sarsfield 0-1 Atletico Tucuman 03/07/22
Velez Sarsfield latest away form
Velez Sarsfield have recently failed to keep a good run of form on the road, having been winless in their five most recent matches. They lost 2-1 to Colon in their last away game in the league. In their last five matches, they have scored three goals and conceded six.
Patronato 1-1 Velez Sarsfield 05/06/22
Racing Club 2-0 Velez Sarsfield 17/06/22
Defensa y Justcia 1-1 Velez Sarsfield 25/06/22
River Plate 0-0 Velez Sarsfield 07/07/22
Colon 2-1 Velez Sarsfield 12/07/22
River Plate latest home form
River Plate lost their last home game 2-0 to Godoy Cruz in the league. However, they have recently been on a good run of form at home, as they have been unbeaten in their previous five matches. In their last five matches, they have scored 10 goals and conceded four.
River Plate 8-1 Alianza Lima 26/05/22
River Plate 0-0 Atletico Tucuman 12/06/22
River Plate 2-1 Lanus 26/06/22
River Plate 0-0 Velez Sarsfield 07/07/22
River Plate 0-2 Godoy Cruz 11/07/22
River Plate latest away form
River Plate have recently failed to keep a good run of form on the road, having won just two of their seven most recent matches. They defeated Barracas Central 3-0 in their last away game in the Copa Argentina. In their last five matches, they have scored 10 goals and conceded six.
Colon 1-0 River Plate 16/06/22
Union 1-5 River Plate 20/06/22
Velez Sarsfield 1-0 River Plate 30/06/22
Huracan 3-2 River Plate 04/07/22
Barracas Central 0-3 River Plate 14/07/22
Velez Sarsfield news
Velez Sarsfield will make do without the services of defender Lautaro Giannetti for Monday’s contest, as he has been sidelined since April through injury.
Brazilian youngster Lenny Lobato is also out of contention for the hosts after picking up a muscle injury in the encounter with Estudiantes on May 24.
River Plate news
River Plate will take to the pitch without the services of Enzo Perez, who is set to sit out his second straight game due to a hamstring issue.
David Martinez and Rodrigo Aliendro are both suspended, while Franco Parades and Robert Rojas are currently recuperating from ACL and leg injuries respectively.
Prediction and Odds
Following their cup win over Barracas Central, River Plate head into the contest with renewed confidence as they aim to move into the top half of the table.
They take on a Velez Sarsfield side who have suffered a downturn in recent weeks and we predict the visitors will emerge victorious.
Odds: 1 2.88 X 2.10 2 2.00
Probable outcomes
Velez Sarsfield 0-1 River Plate
Velez Sarsfield 0-2 River Plate
Velez Sarsfield 1-2 River Plate
Velez Sarsfield 0-3 River Plate
Velez Sarsfield 1-2 River Plate
