Preview and predictions for the fifth round of games in the Clausura 2011 tournament.
Preview
There are two big games in the relegation battle on Friday night. Divisional new boys Olimpo and All Boys is a massive clash for both clubs. A win for Olimpo could take them to within two points of All Boys and out of the automatic relegation zone. In the other game Tigre will be trying to increase the gap between themselves and the relegation places with a win against Banfield however I fancy Banfield to put in another strong away performance having ended Estudiantes' remarkable unbeaten run in their last away game.
On Saturday Gimnasia y Esgrima face a trip to Lanús from which I can't see them getting anything. Argentinos Juniors have drawn all four of their league games so far in the Clausura so they will be looking to bag their first win against Arsenal.
In the late game San Lorenzo host Boca Juniors. I see this game as vital for both clubs, if San Lorenzo win they can start to build their confidence towards a realistic title bid and if Boca Juniors don't win the pressure on coach Julio César Falcioni will build up even more.
Sunday features three intreguing games, Estudiantes will be looking to keep their position at the top of the league with a home win but Godoy Cruz have proven themselves one of the trickiest away teams over the last year. Racing Club face the tough challenge of travelling to Santa Fe to play Colón, both teams featured in entertaining, high scoring matches in round four so I'm hoping for more of the same.
The late game on Sunday is River Plate against Vélez Sársfield, both teams look strong however River Plate games have featured fewer goals than those of any other team. I can't pick a winner so I've gone for the scoreless draw however either side to win by a single goal would also be a reasonable bet.
Monday night throws up another relegation clash with Huracán hosting pointless Quilmes who will be playing under new manager Ricardo Caruso Lombardi for the first time. the final game of the round is Independiente against Newell's Old Boys. Independiente desperately need to put an end to their long winless run in the league and Newell's need some points to avoid falling out of contention for the Copa Sudamericana qualification places.
Predictions
As the results come in I will fill in the actual scores and colour code the predicted scores, green for exact score, yellow for correct result and red for completely wrong. Each green score gets three points, each yellow score gets one point and red scores get nothing. If you fancy playing along fill out your predictions in the comments below to see if you can beat mine.
| 11-03-11 | Prediction | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Tigre | 1-2 | Banfield | 0-1 |
| Olimpo | 1-0 | All Boys | 3-1 |
| 12-03-11 | Prediction | ||
| Lanús | 0-0 | Gimnasia y Esgrima (LP) | 2-0 |
| Argentinos Juniors | 1-0 | Arsenal de Sarandí | 2-1 |
| San Lorenzo | 1-0 | Boca Juniors | 1-0 |
| 13-03-11 | Prediction | ||
| Estudiantes (LP) | 0-1 | Godoy Cruz | 3-1 |
| Colón | 0-4 | Racing Club | 2-2 |
| River Plate | 1-2 | Vélez Sársfield | 0-0 |
| 14-03-11 | Prediction | ||
| Huracán | 2-1 | Quilmes | 2-0 |
| Independiente | 4-0 | Newell's Old Boys | 1-1 |
Total: 7 points - one correct score and four other correct results
For more South American football highlights, including the Brazilian league, the pick of the rest and international tournaments:
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