River, with a goals record of 21-5 in nine matches have been pegged back by two 1-1 away draws, the latest at Lanus on Sunday, after a run of six wins in a row.
The league’s top scorer, Colombian Teo Gutierrez, claimed the equaliser from outside the box against a tough Lanus team gunning for River’s title to take his tally to eight.
River have 21 points, promoted Independiente 18, after Sunday’s 2-0 home win over Rosario Central, and Lanus 17. Newell’s Old Boys, with 16 points, can climb into second with a victory over Banfield in Rosario on Monday (2330).
River’s slight dip in form may be partly due to the loss through injury until next year of young holding midfielder Matias Kranevitter, widely regarded as a new Javier Mascherano in the making.
Boca, rejuvenated since coach Rodolfo Arruabarrena took over from Carlos Bianchi a month ago, did their confidence some good with a 1-0 home win over Quilmes having been upset 2-1 by Racing Club at La Bombonera five days earlier and have 13 points.
“We are Boca and we have to win (the derby), for the shirt, for what it represents, to shorten the distance (behind River),” Agustin Orion, Argentina’s third-choice goalkeeper at the World Cup in Brazil, told reporters.
RACING RALLY
Striker Gustavo Bou, who began his career at River, has lifted Racing with five goals in a week contributing to a haul of seven points out of a possible nine to help his side climb back into title contention with 16 points.
Bou, who has struck up a good partnership with former Inter Milan striker Diego Milito, scored twice in Sunday’s 4-1 win over Belgrano in Cordoba, having also scored a brace at Boca.
South American champions San Lorenzo are struggling for the form they will need if they are to challenge for the Club World Cup title in Morocco in December and went down 2-0 at home to Gimnasia on Saturday.
“We are worried and extremely angry because the team aren’t playing well,” said coach Edgardo Bauza, who in 2008 steered Ecuador’s LDU Quito to the Club World Cup final against Manchester United in Japan.
“I think the players are struggling to reach the level of concentration they had with that achievement (winning the Libertadores Cup last month).”
(Editing by Ed Osmond)
Share
