Racing visit Gimnasia in La Plata aiming for a strong start | OneFootball

The "Academy" seeks to recover after letting the title slip away in the Clausura in a nail-biting final.

Racing will kick off the 2026 Apertura Tournament this Saturday, when they visit Gimnasia y Esgrima La Plata at the Juan Carmelo Zerillo stadium, aiming to start the year on the right foot. The match will begin at 7:30 PM, with VAR overseen by Adrián Franklin and live coverage by the Argentine News Agency.

The team led by Gustavo Costas arrives with the intention of being a protagonist, after coming close to the title in the 2025 Clausura Tournament, where they lost a dramatic final against Estudiantes, who equalized in stoppage time and won in the penalty shootout.

At the Academy, the presence from the start of the two reinforcements who arrived in this transfer market is expected: Matko Miljevic and Valentín Carboni. Both are seeking continuity and good performance with an eye on a possible call-up to their national teams of the United States and Argentina, respectively, ahead of the 2026 World Cup.

In addition to the local scene, Racing will have a busy calendar, as they will also compete in the Copa Sudamericana, a tournament they won in 2024, ending a historic drought of 36 years without international titles.

Meanwhile, Gimnasia comes from being one of the protagonists of the last Clausura, where they reached the semifinals and were eliminated by their classic rival, Estudiantes. The team from La Plata, now led by Fernando Zaniratto, showed a competitive identity and aspires to fight again in this Apertura.

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