Battered Racing, in crisis, have lots at stake v Caracas in Sudamericana | OneFootball

Racing coach Gustavo Costas will rest the starters with Huracán in mind and could field mostly backups

Racing faces a decisive week shaped by physical wear and tear, as this Wednesday at 7 p.m. they will visit Caracas at the UCV Olympic Stadium for the third matchday of Copa Sudamericana Group E, with a strong chance of putting out a mixed lineup.

Racing to field an alternative team

The trip to Venezuela complicated the planning. The squad left Monday at midday and arrived around 11 p.m., after a layover in Bogotá, racking up 11 hours of travel. The team was affected by fatigue and will have only one training session before the match. Gustavo Costas is looking to preserve his starters ahead of Sunday’s key clash against Huracán in the Apertura Tournament.

The absences of Santiago Sosa, due to muscle overload, and Adrián “Maravilla” Martínez, because of a knee sprain, are major blows. The striker could even miss the rest of the semester. Both stayed in Buenos Aires with their focus on the domestic tournament.

In this context, names such as Martirena, Colombo, Rojo, García Basso, Ignacio Rodríguez, Baltasar, Forneris and “Toto” Fernández appear as options to make up the starting eleven. In attack, without Martínez, the doubt is who will take his place, with Pizarro as an option.

The team’s current form does not help either: Racing has won only one of its last six matches. They have three points in the Copa and need a win to improve their standing in the group. A victory in Caracas would leave them well positioned to advance.

On the domestic front, Huracán’s defeat changed the outlook. Racing controls its own fate: if it wins on Sunday, it will make the playoffs, although it will also need to wait on other results.

Caracas, meanwhile, comes into the match after being eliminated from the Venezuelan tournament, but unbeaten in the Copa. They drew with Botafogo and beat Independiente Petrolero. The team is being managed on an interim basis by Henry Meléndez following the departure of Fernando Aristeguieta.

Costas got back Martirena, Nacho Rodríguez, Rojo and García Basso, although they would start on the bench. He also included “Toto” Fernández despite his red card against Barracas.

Probable lineups

Caracas: Frankarlos Benítez; Eduardo Fereira, Francisco La Mantia, Luis Mago, Jesús Yendis; Christian Larotonda, Wilfred Correa; Charly Vegas, Lucciano Reinoso, Michael Covea; Adrián Fernández. Coach: Fernando Aristeguieta.__IP__

This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇪🇸 here.