Talleres Cordoba welcome Rosario Central with both sides heavily rotated, missing seven and six regulars respectively from their usual line-ups, which makes form difficult to read. The hosts have lost three of their last four at home, while Rosario's away record is solid but they…
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Sign inTalleres de Córdoba host Rosario Central in round 6 of the Liga Profesional Argentina Clausura on Monday night, a fixture that carries enormous weight for the home side’s besieged coach Jorge Sampaoli. The Córdoba outfit sit rock bottom of their zone with just one victory from five outings, while Central arrive as the form team – but with questions over fatigue after a midweek continental excursion.
Sampaoli will unleash Uruguayan striker Agustín Álvarez Martínez for the first time in this Clausura campaign. The “No. 9” that the coach personally requested was not cleared to feature in the 3-1 defeat at Gimnasia Mendoza and his return provides a focal point that Talleres have sorely missed. The manager has held double training sessions this week and is expected to shake up his lineup in search of a reaction.
Rosario Central’s plans are clouded by their Copa Libertadores exertions. Jorge Almirón’s side played out a scoreless first leg at the Gigante de Arroyito before traveling to Brazil for Thursday’s decisive return against Corinthians. With only a few days to recover, Central could rotate key figures, although the squad’s confidence is sky-high after grinding out a 1-0 win at Barracas Central in their last league outing.
Talleres’ Clausura has been nothing short of a nightmare. One win, zero draws and four defeats leaves them bottom of Zone B with three points and a goal difference of minus four. The 3-1 loss to Gimnasia Mendoza on 18 August typified their fragility, particularly in transitions. Across the last four matchdays they have leaked seven goals, and the pressure on Sampaoli – who held talks with the club president after the latest setback – is acute. Another defeat at home would constitute a fifth loss in six rounds and could accelerate the end of his tenure.
In stark contrast, Rosario Central sit third in Zone B with 10 points from five matches (three wins, one draw, one loss). They have conceded just three goals in that span, built on a compact defensive shape that Almirón has drilled relentlessly. The 1-0 away success against Barracas Central on 17 August extended their unbeaten run in the league to four games. The only question mark is how much the Libertadores trip has taken out of them, and whether the emotional high or low of that result will bleed into this domestic encounter.
The return of Álvarez Martínez gives Talleres a genuine penalty-box threat they lacked in Mendoza. The Uruguayan’s movement and physicality will test a Rosario Central defence that has been miserly in the Clausura. How quickly Central’s centre-backs can recover from their continental travel – and whether Álvarez Martínez can exploit any lingering fatigue – may decide where the points end up.
Sampaoli has described this fixture as a “final”, and for Talleres it could be exactly that for his project. Rosario Central, meanwhile, are eyeing a top-two finish in the zone, and every away result strengthens their claim to a serious title challenge.
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