Preview: Gimnasia vs. Rosario Central

Sports Mole previews Monday’s Argentine Primera Division clash between Gimnasia and Rosario Central, including predictions, team news and possible lineups.

Two sides who could do well with a win go head to head in round nine of the Argentine Primera Division as Gimnasia play host to Rosario Central on Monday.

Miguel Angel Russo’s men journey to the Estadio Juan Carmelo Zerillo where they have failed to win any of their last four visits since August 2014 and will be looking to end this poor run.

Match preview
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Gimnasia were left empty handed yet again as they suffered a heavy 4-1 defeat against Estudiantes when the sides squared off at the Estadio Jorge Luis Hirschi last Sunday.

Following a relatively uneventful first half, the game sparked to life after the break as Estudiantes raced into a three-goal lead, and after David Zalazar pulled one back for the visitors in the 87th minute, Jose Sosa converted his 96th-minute penalty to restore the hosts’ three-goal advantage.

Having gone unbeaten in four of their first five matches to start the season, claiming three wins and one draw, Marcelo Mendez’s men have now lost three consecutive matches, conceding six goals and scoring just once across the three games.

The defeat against Estudiantes further highlights El Lobo’s struggles away from home as they have now failed to win any of the four games on their travels this season, picking up just one point from a possible 12.

Gimnasia will be backing themselves to find their feet this weekend as they take on an opposing side who are on a four-game winless run at the Estadio Juan Carmelo Zerillo, losing three and claiming one draw, and have managed just one victory in their last 10 visits since April 2009.

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Rosario Central, on the other hand, were condemned to consecutive defeats for the first time this season as they were beaten 1-0 by Union when the two teams squared off last Wednesday.

Mauro Pitton’s 70th-minute strike was enough to separate the sides at the Estadio 15 de Abril as Enzo Copetti saw his 88th-minute penalty saved by an inspired Thiago Cardozo between the sticks for Union.

Prior to that, Rosario saw their four-game unbeaten streak — a run which saw them reach the Copa Sudamericana knockout stages courtesy of a 2-1 aggregate victory over Internacional — come to an end on July 27 when they fell to a 1-0 home defeat against Huracan.

Russo’s side have now lost three of their eight Primera Division matches this season while claiming two wins and three draws to collect nine points and sit 19th in the table, one point and two places behind Monday’s hosts.

While Rosario will be looking to return to winning ways this weekend, recent results on the road offer little optimism as they have won just two of their 13 away matches in all competitions while losing eight and claiming three draws since the start of March.

Gimnasia Argentine Primera Division form:

Rosario Central Argentine Primera Division form:

Rosario Central form (all competitions):

Team News
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Gimnasia will be without goalkeeper Nelson Insfran, who picked up a straight red card late in the game against Estudiantes last weekend, meaning Marcos Ledesma should start in goal on Monday.

On the injury front, Mendez will be unable to name the trio of Leandro Mamut (groin), Cristian Colman (muscle) and Juan Cruz Esquivel (knee), who are all recuperating from injuries.

Lautaro Chavez is set to sit out his fifth consecutive game after coming off with a muscle problem in June while Franco Troyansky is a major doubt, having missed the game against Estudiantes due to an injury.

Rosario will take to the pitch without the services of Juan Komar, Ignacio Mallorca and 36-year-old defender Carlos Quintana, who all continue their spells on the sidelines.

Uruguayan forward Abel Hernandez has been out of action since sustaining a thigh problem in March and the 33-year-old will also play no part in Monday’s matchup.

Agustin Bravo continues his lengthy spell on the sidelines after suffering a cruciate ligament injury in April and the 23-year-old defender is also ruled out for the visitors.

Gimnasia possible starting lineup:
Ledesma; Pintado, Morales, Cabral, Colazo; Garayalde, Castro, De Blasis; Abaldo, Castillo, Dominguez

Rosario Central possible starting lineup:
Broun; Coronel, Gimenez, Mallo, Sandez; Gomez, Ortiz; Copetti, Martinez, Campaz; Ruben

We say: Gimnasia 2-1 Rosario Central
After an impressive start to the season, Gimnasia have run out of steam in recent weeks and will head into Monday’s clash in search of a pick-me-up.

Mendez’s men have been rock-solid on home turf and we fancy them to see off a Rosario side who have struggled for results on their travels.

For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.

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