River Plate vs Colon

Liga Professional pacesetters River Plate entertain out-of-form Colon at the Estadio Monumental, seeking amends for last weekend’s disappointment.

River Plate’s imperious three-match winning streak in the Primera Division ended abruptly at the weekend as they slumped to a lackluster 2-1 defeat at Barracas Central. That result is unlikely to bother head coach Enzo Francescoli, whose men boast a significant nine-point lead on second-placed Talleres Cordoba. Moreover, title-bound River have turned the Estadio Monumental into a fortress this term, racking up an eye-catching nine wins from ten home league matches (L1), including eight in a row since a shock 2-1 loss to basement boys Arsenal Sarandi in late February. Bringing other competitions into the equation, the reigning champions have won their last 13 home games, with nine of those victories coming without conceding.

Meanwhile, visiting Colon could be powerless to disrupt River’s home harmony after an embarrassing 4-0 home loss to Union Santa Fe at the weekend crippled their morale, knocking them down from a five-game unbeaten league run (W1, D4). Moreover, goals have been in short supply for the visitors as they’ve netted one or fewer in six of their last seven Primera Division fixtures. Indeed, a lack of firepower has seen Colon score a measly average of 0.6 goals per league travel this season. So it’s not surprising that they’ve only won one of their ten Primera Division away matches so far (D6, L3).