Atl. Tucuman vs Banfield Match Preview

Atletico Tucuman has been exceptional in the group stage of Copa Diego Maradona as they were the only team who won all six matches, having also the best attack among all 24 teams, scoring 18 goals. They have a strong midfield and attacking lines scoring with ease, and my opinion is that they are ready enough to compete for the title against the Argentinian powerhouses River Plate and Boca Juniors.

There are no significant missings for manager R. Zielinski, and he will field his best eleven in tonight's match.

Banfield, on the other hand, secured their qualification early in the group-stage phase winning in the first three rounds, but after that they were just unable to get another three-pointer, suffering a 0-2 defeat against Rivel Plate, followed by 2 draws. They finished 2nd in the group, behind their direct rivals, River Plate. Their defense has been quite average in the first stage, conceding a total of 6 goals, with an average of one goal per game. Today, they face one of the strongest opponents of the competition, so they will have to cover those gaps in order to get a positive result.

The only missing for the visitors here is suspended defender C. Bravo who was in their starting lineup in all 6 games.

The hosts scored at least 2 goals per game in the first stage, conceding also 8 goals in these games. Banfield remained undefeated on the road, having 2 impressive wins, against the River Plate (1-3) and Rosario Central (2-4), and one draw.

I expect an exciting match between these two teams for the first round of Fase Campeon, that could definitely go one way or another. However, it would be a big surprise for me to see a low-scoring game. Over 2.5 goals to be scored is my call in this one.