Newell’s Old Boys v Sarmiento
Copa de la Liga 2021
9th May 2021
🏟️ Estadio Marcelo Bielsa, Rosario
Newell’s Old Boys’ participation in the 2021 Copa de la Liga comes to an end on Sunday night when they welcome newly-promoted Sarmiento to Rosario in their final Group B fixture.
With the top four from Group B progressing to the Quarter-Finals, both teams are well off the mark with Sarmiento in 11th and Newell’s one point behind them in 12th.
It’s been a campaign that most Newell’s fans will want to forget with few positives to take. With a change of manager happening midway through the season, new manager Germán Burgos briefly managed to stop La Lepra free-falling but the recent loss to rivals Rosario Central in the Clásico Rosarino has taken the shine off his tenure.
A smash and grab in the Copa Sudamericana against Palestino on Tuesday night will have lifted spirits in the Newell’s camp but they come up against a Sarmiento side who will have gained confidence having secured a point at home to Gimnasia (0-0), a team that Newell’s recently lost to, last week.
Sarmiento manager Mario Sciacqua is a former Newell’s Old Boys youth player who played in the academy in the 1980s before going on to make his mark as a professional player with Deportivo Municipal and Colón. Draws with Boca and Talleres, and wins over Lanús and Defensa y Justicia have been the highlight of his return to the Argentine top flight but they’ve struggled against the weaker teams like Patronato and Huracán. Newell’s and Sarmiento last met in October 2020, before Sarmiento secured promotion to the top division from the Primera B, in a pre-season friendly that Newell’s won comfortably 3-0. After Sunday’s Copa match, they’ll meet again in the week after, having been drawn in the Copa Argentina Round of 32 together. That match will be played at the neutral Estadio Único in San Nicolás in a game that was originally scheduled for 7 April but postponed until 17 May.
A win for Newell’s will spare Germán Burgos the ignominy of finishing rock-bottom of Group B but realistically, all eyes are now on the Copa Sudamericana where Newell’s still have an outside chance of qualifying from Group F if they can succeed in return legs against Palestino, Libertad and Atlético Goianiense.
Newell’s v Sarmiento Team News
Newell’s will have to do without a number of key players and Germán Burgos was able to name only 4 midfielders in his squad of 23 for the Sarmiento game. Pablo Pérez serves a ban while Ignacio Scocco, Mauro Formica, Jerónimo Cacciabue and Franco Negri have all suffered injuries in the past week which will rule them out of the game.
Milton Leyendeker, who made his debut against Palestino in the Copa Sudamericana, is set to keep his place in defence after a strong display.
18-year-old Patricio Acevedo has been called up to the squad first time.
Ramiro Macagno, Mariano Bíttolo, Jonatan Cristaldo, Franco Escobar, Francisco González and Santiago Gentiletti are all on the long-term injury list.
Mario Sciacqua is tipped to make three changes to the Sarmiento side that drew with Gimnasia with Brian Salvareschi, Federico Bravo and Bejamín Borasi replacing Marcelo Herrera , Claudio Pombo and Gabriel Graciani.
The expected Sarmiento XI is: Manuel Vicentini, Martín García, Nicolás Bazzana, Brian Salvareschi, Lautaro Montoya, Gabriel Alanís, Federico Vismara, Federico Bravo, Bejamín Borasi, Sergio Quiroga, Jonatan Torres.
📺 Watch Newell’s v Sarmiento on Sunday 9th May: Live on Fanatiz
⏰ Kick-off: 21.00 ARG | 01.00 UK
