Defensa y Justicia return home to Norberto Tomaghello Stadium with an opportunity to claim their first victory in the second phase of the Argentine Primera Division when they battle Aldosivi on Monday.
Halcon are the only team in this phase of the competition without a victory after six games, though they sit above Aldosivi in the table on goal difference, despite El Verde winning their first second-round encounter last Monday, 2-1 over Rosario Central.
To this point of the second phase, we have not seen the same Defensa side that we witnessed in the previous round, when they finished third in Group A, with points in 11 of their 14 encounters.
Lately, their domestic form has hampered their chances of claiming a first ever Primera title, as they find themselves clinging to a place in the Copa Sudamericana next season on goal difference.
In his third stint at the club, Sebastian Beccacece came back to a side with much loftier expectations than in his previous two tenures, as Defensa have won an international trophy (Copa Sudamericana and Recopa Sudamericana) in each of the past two seasons.
For Beccacece, the name of the game is patience, splattered with an occasional mix of intensity to recover balls in the middle of the field before countering.
They have only suffered one defeat at home in this entire domestic campaign, though when you count the opening phase and this one, Halcon have let six points slip through their fingers.
Aldosivi got a much-needed shot in the arm to their second-round campaign last week, as a goal with fewer than 10 minutes remaining put an end to a nine-match winless run in league play dating back to the opening phase.
Finishing near the bottom of the aggregate table in each of the previous two Primera campaigns has started to catch up to them, as they are in danger of relegation, with a total of 82 points over their last two seasons, combined with this one.
When you divide that figure by the amount of games Aldosivi have played over that span, they come out with an average of 1.098, putting them just above Godoy Cruz and descent into Nacional B.
Manager Leandro Somoza would rather not have their top-flight salvation be decided by maths, but when he looks at his team’s numbers, it does not take a maths wizard to figure out what they are missing.
Simply put, their quality has not been good enough in this phase of the competition, scoring the fewest goals of any top-flight side after six games (three), while also conceding the second-most strikes (10) and being outscored 8-1 away from home in this round.
If you are expecting a goal from Tiburon it is likely to come in the opening 45 minutes, as they have only scored once in the second-half in 14 straight matches in all competitions.
Defensa y Justicia Argentine Primera Division form:
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Defensa y Justicia form (all competitions):
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Aldosivi Argentine Primera Division form:
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We say: Defensa y Justicia 2-0 Aldosivi
Although neither side have been particularly sharp in this phase of the competition, Halcon are generally more consistent while possessing more quality in all three aspects of the game, whereas Aldosivi look disorganised and out of sorts away from home.