Racing no longer control their fate: what they need for Apertura play-offs | OneFootball

Belgrano’s defeat to Gimnasia complicated the situation for the Academy, which now needs to win its postponed match and hope for favorable results elsewhere. The match against Huracán is crucial, but first they have to keep an eye on what happens this Monday in Parque Patricios.

Racing heads into the final stretch of the Torneo Apertura with its back against the wall. Belgrano’s loss to Gimnasia — the result Gustavo Costas’ team desperately needed to avoid — left the Academy without the chance to rely solely on itself to reach the playoffs. El Lobo won 1-0 away from home and moved into the top eight, forcing the Avellaneda side to try to change its fate in the matches ahead: beat Huracán in the postponed game and pray for other results to go their way.

Saturday had brought good news. Tigre lost to Sarmiento and left the Academy holding on to eighth place. The scenario was clear: if Belgrano had beaten Gimnasia, the Avellaneda club would still have depended only on itself. But the La Plata side won away from home and changed everything.

Now, before thinking about the final matchday, all eyes are on what happens in Parque Patricios. Huracán, who is above the Academy in the standings, will host Argentinos Juniors. If El Globo doesn’t win, qualification will be back in the Academy’s hands. With a draw, the gap would be just two points. That’s why, more than ever, they’ll be cheering for El Bicho de La Paternal.

The Córdoba-based Pirata is three points ahead of the team presided over by Diego Milito and will host the aforementioned Sarmiento at its stadium. Barracas, one point above the Academy, will play at home against Banfield, who no longer has any chance. Meanwhile, Gimnasia will also play at home against Argentinos Juniors, already qualified.

For Costas’ side, only a win will do. A draw would still leave them alive, but the conditions would be demanding: they would need Barracas to lose and neither Tigre nor Sarmiento to win, both of whom ended up one point below after matchday 19. The outlook is complicated, but not impossible. Everything will be decided in the postponed ninth-round match, which Racing simply must win.

The postponed round has a story behind it. It was suspended when the Argentine football leadership decided to show solidarity with AFA president Claudio Tapia and treasurer Pablo Toviggino, who had been summoned to give testimony by the courts in a case involving evasion of contributions. Both officials are currently under indictment. That decision, controversial at the time,

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