The Argentine Primera Division season is beginning, and there is plenty of excitement on the horizon as Banfield prepares to face Barracas Central at Estadio Florencio Sola for their Second Phase: Match Day 3 of 16 matches on July 28, 2025 (11:00 PM UTC). This is an important match for both teams early in the campaign, where Banfield will want to utilize home advantage, and Barracas Central will be looking to recover from a tough recent stretch.
Current Position & Team Form
Banfield—Gaining Ground
Banfield comes into this match in 6th place with 4 points from 2 matches (1W, 1D). Banfield is starting to find momentum under Pedro Troglio, having gotten through the shaky start to the season. They last played on March 12th, where they got a big boost to confidence by getting a 2-1 away win against Newell's Old Boys.
Last 10 League Games Record: 2 wins, 4 draws, 4 losses
Goals per Game: 1.1
Goals Against per Game: 1.5
Possession: 41.1%
Key Players:
Rodrigo Auzmendi—scored in the 2-1 win against Newell's Old Boys.
Agustin Alaniz—has two assists this season, which is the team leader in assists.
Barracas Central—Building Consistency
Barracas Central are in 10th place with 3 points (1W, 1L) under Rubén Darío Insúa. Their last game ended in a poor 3-0 loss to Independiente Rivadavia, and with that result, their vulnerability defensively is receiving attention.
Last 10 League Games Record: 5 wins, 1 draw, 4 losses
Goals per game: 0.8
Goals Against per Game: 1.3
Possession: 36.5%
Key Players:
Jhonatan Candia is their top scorer with 2 goals.
Javier Ruiz & Yonatthan Rak—have created chances for the team with 2 assists each.
Head-to-Head History
The rivalry between Banfield and Barracas Central has been close and low-scoring.
Last 5 H2H Meetings:
Banfield Wins: 1
Barracas Central Wins: 2
Draws: 2
Goals scored in last 5 matches: Only 5 total—an average of 1 goal per match. The latest clash (Feb 1, 2025) was a 1-0 Barracas Central win.
Match Analysis
Banfield’s Home Form
Banfield have been tough at home at Estadio Florencio Sola—they have only lost 2 home games in the last 9 games (and out of their last 10). They average 5.2 shots on target per game and only convert 7.7% of shots on target, and that remains a weakness. Expect Banfield to be on the ball most of the time, especially in terms of smaller possession spells, and use wing-backs to test Barracas Central’s compact defense.
Barracas Central Away Form
Barracas Central have had mixed results away from home—they have 3 wins, 4 draws, and 3 losses in their last 10 games on the road. While they are a relatively stable defensive team, their offensive output has been lacking in creating clear scoring chances (averaging 2.3 shots on target per game).
Predicted Starting XI
Banfield - 3-4-2-1
Facundo Sanguinetti (GK); Alexis Maldonado, Sergio Vittor, Brandon Oviedo; Juan Luis Alfaro, Martín Rio, Santiago Esquivel, Ignacio Abraham; Tomas Adoryan, Gonzalo Ríos; Rodrigo Auzmendi.
Barracas Central - 3-4-2-1
Marcos Ledesma (GK); Nicolás Demartini, Yonatthan Rak, Fernando Tobio; Rafael Barrios, Iván Tapia, Dardo Miloc, Rodrigo Insua; Manuel Duarte, Javier Ruiz; Jhonatan Candia.
Key Match Stats & Trends
Under 2.5 goals in 6 of the last 7 head-to-heads.
Banfield have scored 2 or more goals just once in their last 5 matches.
Barracas Central have kept 3 clean sheets in their last 5 wins.
Discipline Factor: both teams average more than 4 yellow cards combined per game and expect a physical contest.
Match Prediction
Banfield vs. Barracas Central Score Prediction: 1-0
Banfield's strength at home and Barracas' struggles away point to a home win, albeit narrow. Expect a defensive struggle with limited chances and the match likely decided by 1 goal, which I expect Banfield is in the best position to score.
Current Betting Odds from Stake.com
Best Bet: Under 2.5 Goals
Both Teams to Score: No
Total Corners: Over 7.5—both teams rely on set pieces.
Closing Remarks
The face-off between Banfield and Barracas Central might lack an explosion of goals, but it should lead to a tactical clash between two defensively well-organized clubs. Banfield will get the nod at home, but the attacking threat from Barracas Central will mean they cannot be neglected.
