Unbeaten, Rosario Central look to Di María for Corinthians decider | OneFootball

Corinthians host Rosario Central this Thursday (20), at 9:30 p.m. Brasília time, at Neo Química Arena, with a spot in the Conmebol Libertadores quarterfinals on the line. After a 0-0 draw in the first meeting, Timão will face an Argentine side that is on an unbeaten run and sits near the top of its group in the Argentine Championship.

The match at Gigante de Arroyito, played last Thursday (13), ended goalless. Because of that, neither team has an advantage in the return leg. A win in regular time secures qualification, while any new draw will send the decision to penalties.

Photo: Disclosure / CA Rosario Central

Rosario Central arrive unbeaten since July

The team coached by Jorge Almirón has not lost since July 23, when it was beaten 2-1 by Belgrano in the opening round of the Torneo Clausura. Since that result, Rosario have put together a positive run that remains intact heading into this Thursday’s clash.

During that stretch, the Argentines drew with Argentino de Rosario in the Copa Santa Fe and were held to a 0-0 draw by Racing in the Argentine Championship. They then earned an important 1-0 win over River Plate away from home, despite playing part of the match with one man less.

After that, Rosario Central beat Aldosivi 2-1 and drew 0-0 with Corinthians in the Libertadores. In their most recent match, last Sunday (16), the team won again by defeating Barracas Central 1-0 away from home.

The result kept Jorge Almirón’s side among the top teams in Clausura Group B. After five matches, Rosario sit in third place with ten points and a goal difference of plus two. Argentinos Juniors lead the group with 12 points, while Belgrano also have ten but are ahead on tiebreakers.

Consistent Libertadores campaign

Rosario Central’s performance in the continental competition has also stood out. They qualified directly after finishing 2025 with the best overall record in the combined Argentine Championship table, and the club played the Libertadores group stage in Group H.

The Argentine side faced Independiente del Valle, Universidad Central and Libertad. After opening with a 0-0 home draw against Independiente del Valle, Rosario won four straight matches.

Their only defeat came precisely in the final round of the group stage, again against Independiente del Valle, this time away from home. At the end of the six rounds, the Argentines had 13 points, with four wins, one draw and one loss.

Rosario scored nine goals and conceded only one throughout the entire first phase. Even with the same number of points as Independiente del Valle, they finished second in the group due to the head-to-head record. Even so, they advanced as the best runner-up among all groups. Corinthians, meanwhile, finished top of Group E with 11 points.

Di María is the main reference point

Among the names demanding the most attention from Corinthians is Ángel Di María. Developed by Rosario Central themselves, the Argentine returned to the club in 2025 after building most of his career in European football.

The forward played for Benfica, Real Madrid, Manchester United, Paris Saint-Germain and Juventus before returning to Argentine football. A 2022 World Cup winner with his national team, the 38-year-old recently renewed his contract with Rosario until June 2027.

Di María has made 80 appearances for the club, with 20 goals and nine assists. In addition to his attacking output, the No. 11 has taken on the captain’s armband and become one of the key pieces in Jorge Almirón’s side.

Squad changes during the season

Rosario Central also went through changes in their squad during the mid-year transfer window. Four reinforcements arrived at the club: Axel Werner, Franco Cervi, Tomás Badaloni and Alan Rodríguez.

Alan Rodríguez joined on loan from Internacional until June 2027. Before leaving Brazilian football, the Uruguayan midfielder made 30 appearances and recorded one assist for the club from Rio Grande do Sul.

For the goalkeeping position, the board brought in Axel Werner, formerly of Elche and previously on loan at Aldosivi. Tomás Badaloni arrived from Necaxa for the attack, while Franco Cervi returned to Argentine football after terminating his contract with Celta de Vigo.

The squad also had departures. Alejo Véliz left Rosario after the end of his loan from Tottenham and was signed by Bahia for 9 million euros, approximately R$56 million at the exchange rate at that time. The 38-year-old center-back Carlos Quintana also left after mutually terminating his contract.

Jáminton Campaz, meanwhile, remained at the club despite interest from América of Mexico. The Colombian continues to be one of the Argentine side’s options for pace and dribbling in attack.

Probable Rosario Central lineup

For the match against Corinthians, Jorge Almirón will be without Juan Giménez, who suffered a ruptured cruciate ligament in his right knee in August 2025 and is still recovering. Marco Ruben is listed as doubtful for the match.

The tendency is for the coach to keep the 4-2-3-1 used by the team, with Franco Ibarra and Vicente Pizarro in front of the defense and Di María involved in building the attack.

Thus, Rosario Central could start with: Ledesma; Coronel, Ovando, Ávila and Sández; Ibarra and Pizarro; Julián Fernández, Di María and Campaz; Copetti.

Corinthians and Rosario Central take the field at 9:30 p.m. Brasília time this Thursday. After the 0-0 draw in Argentina, the winner at Neo Química Arena will advance directly to the quarterfinals. If there is another tie, qualification will be decided in the penalty shootout.

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