Racing out to bounce back fast against Rosario Central at El Cilindro | OneFootball

After a disappointing debut in La Plata, the "Academia" will host the "Canalla" with the obligation to change their image and earn their first points in the championship. The match starts at 19:00.

Racing will face a crucial challenge in Avellaneda when they host Rosario Central for the second round of the 2026 Torneo Apertura of the Professional Football League.

The match will take place from 19:00 at the Presidente Perón Stadium, with broadcast by ESPN Premium. Fernando Echenique will be the main referee, accompanied by Lucas Novelli in charge of VAR, in a match corresponding to Zone B where both teams are in need of an immediate response.

The team led by Gustavo Costas arrives shaken after a performance far below expectations in their debut, where they lost 2-1 to Gimnasia La Plata in the Bosque. That night, Racing never managed to impose their conditions and were clearly outplayed for much of the game, leaving an image that raised alarms at the start of the tournament.

With that background, the coaching staff is considering maintaining the core of the team, although a change in the offensive sector is not ruled out: Duván Vergara might give way to Tomás Conechny, who came off the bench and scored the consolation goal against the Lobo.

Central is also not in their best moment. The team of Jorge Almirón let slip a match that seemed under control in their presentation against Belgrano de Córdoba, losing at home despite having opened the scoring through a highly disputed penalty.

This setback deepened an adverse streak that has been ongoing since the end of last season, when the Canalla accumulated defeats against Independiente and Estudiantes de La Plata. In this context, the clash in Avellaneda appears as a demanding test for two teams desperate for results and to rebuild confidence in a tournament start that has given no concessions.

Probable line-ups

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