So here we go with Vélez Sarsfield taking on Racing Club. Vélez has been treading pretty solid ground, with a 10-3-3 record this season – not too shabby I must say. As for Racing, well, they're a bit of a mixed bag with a 7-4-5 record.
If we zoom into the most recent games, we see a sharp contrast. Vélez is painting the town red with 4 wins in their last 5 matches, while Racing is riding a bit of a struggle bus with only one win to show in their last five games. I mean, it's not the end of the world, but they're not setting the world on fire either.
Vélez's goalkeeper, Tomás Marchiori, has a 7.00 rating and 7 saves. Nice round numbers, I like that. Elegant. Meanwhile, Racing has Gabriel Arias with a 6.73 rating and 7 saves on board, with Facundo Cambeses as a backup, rated 6.70 with 3 saves. I'd say Marchiori's marching to his own beat.
Looking at the top players, we have for Racing Club, Juan Fernando Quintero with an impressive 80.8% accuracy in his passing, Santiago Sosa scoring once and Juan Nardoni following suit. Pass accuracy doesn't win games folks, goals do.
For Vélez Sarsfield, we have Claudio Aquino with 0 goals – which is, well, not ideal, but his passing accuracy is a respectable 72.2%. But the real star of the show seems to be Braian Romero with 3 goals. Put the ball in the back of the net, quite simple. And Braian knows it.
In conclusion, considering all things, Vélez Sarsfield would appear to have a slight edge in this one - if numbers can tell us anything that is, and while we can't trust them completely, at least they're not as unpredictable as my ex-wife.
Albert's Prediction: Vélez Sarsfield by 1