“We must play with 12”: Colón calls for a cauldron at Brigadier López | OneFootball

While the week got off to a “crooked” start for Iván Raúl Delfino (at this point, it’s very unlikely that any of the four injured starters will be available), Colón’s fans and club members have started playing their own match. “This Sunday, at 4:30 p.m. against Los Andes, we have to play with 12,” they promise.

From supporter groups, branches, peñas, and members’ movements, the Colón world is calling on everyone to fill the stadium this Sunday against the MilRayitas, cheer from the first minute, and return to winning ways to dream of the Reducido. The first objective? Win, climb the table, and reach the top four spots in the zone.

Without a doubt, as the “Big Guy” said in Mendoza, for now they have to focus on that one objective alone: finishing among the top four, which would give the Sabalero home-field advantage in the first knockout rounds in the hunt for the second promotion.

Amid the fallout from Sunday’s refereeing robbery at the Feliciano Gambarte, the AFA did not assign Echenique or Errante to this weekend’s matches. Meanwhile, it appointed Bryan Ferreyra as the referee for Colón-Los Andes at the Brigadier López.

In the last few hours, the refereeing officials for Matchday 30 of the Primera Nacional were announced. The Argentine Football Association (AFA) confirmed that the main referee for the match will be Bryan Ferreyra, assisted by Damián Espinoza and Matías Bianchi, while Sebastián Bresba will serve as the fourth official.

Bryan Ferreyra has refereed Colón on 10 occasions, with the Sabalero recording four wins, four draws, and two losses. The most recent precedent came on August 1, when Ferreyra oversaw the 1-1 draw between Colón and Acassuso. Lucas Rey put the Buenos Aires side ahead, while Leandro Gárate equalized for the Santa Fe team.

On the football side, Colón has three confirmed suspensions: Federico Lértora and Mauro Peinipil for five yellow cards, and Nicolás Thaller for a red card. Of the four injured players, all are out for now: Facundo Castet, Pier Barrios, Matías Muñoz, and Ignacio Manuel Lago (each with different physical injuries).

As a result, with these possible seven absences, many reserve players will have to be “promoted” and train with the first team. Some of them, such as Ravano and Cardozo, could even make the bench this Sunday at 4:30 p.m. against Los Andes of Lomas de Zamora at the Elephant Graveyard.

Speaking of the Sabalero reserves, coached by “Chueco” Miguel Robledo, they suffered an incredible defeat at the hands of league leaders Independiente de Avellaneda. In several stretches, and playing away from home, Colón was the better side, controlled its opponent, but came away empty-handed after losing 1-0.

The match marked Tomás Paredes’ return in goal (he came back from a muscle tear) and Sabalero forward Laureano Páez sent a penalty kick wide. Up next is the reserve clásico in AFA against Unión at the 4 de Junio training ground.

“Chueco’s” starting eleven was Paredes; Martínez, Ravano, Utrera, Campagnaro; Cardozo, Lovato, Favotti, and Barria; Páez and Córdoba. “The designated penalty taker was Mati Córdoba; the foul was on Páez, the kid asked to take it, and he sent the ball wide. At the very least we deserved a draw,” they commented.

On Sunday, from 4:30 p.m. at the Elephant Graveyard, the opponent will be Los Andes, who haven’t won in nine matches. As is well known, Los Andes was unable to hold onto its lead and ended up drawing against San Miguel.

The draw left a bittersweet taste in the Milrayitas coaching staff. After the match, head coach César Monasterio analyzed his team’s performance, highlighted the squad’s physical wear and tear, and remained optimistic about the goal of qualifying for the Reducido.

“We’re leaving very frustrated; unfortunately, we couldn’t hold the result and we couldn’t score one more goal,” the coach began in the press conference. The manager pointed to slight improvement in the second half, although he acknowledged the lack of consistency: “In the second half we looked a little better, but we couldn’t sustain it.”

Los Andes is going through a string of matches without a win. The Lomas de Zamora side has now gone 9 games without victory, and its last win was a 3-1 result against Ciudad Bolívar on July 11 at the Eduardo Gallardón.

César Monasterio did not hide the impact of the tight schedule his squad faced in recent days as a key factor in the team’s lack of sharpness. “You have to keep in mind that we played three matches in one week; we weren’t as sharp as we should have been. The good thing is that the team keeps going for it, and we have to be patient,” he explained.

The Los Andes coach, Colón’s next opponent, also stressed how little time he has had in charge of the group to fully implement his footballing ideas.

“We’ve been changing some things, but we still need a full week to really see what we like. We have to know how to handle the moments that come with calm and understand that, with only a few days of work, the team has been improving,” he reflected.

Despite the difficult run, the strategist backed the players’ daily effort and called for unity throughout the Lomas de Zamora environment. “The boys are committed and working hard to get out of this moment. We all have to stick together, and we need the fans’ support right now,” he emphasized.

Drawing a parallel with the competitiveness of the division, the coach played down the club’s current situation: “In the Nacional B every team goes through a rough patch, and we have to try to get out of this moment as quickly as possible. Today we leave with the bitter taste of having been ahead and not holding onto it; we have to defend better when we take the lead.”

Finally, César Monasterio sent a message of confidence regarding the team’s immediate future in the tournament, highlighting the individual quality needed to turn things around. “We know we have good-quality players, and that gives us hope of qualifying for the Reducido. The positive thing is that, in the matches we have left, everyone is playing for something,” he concluded.

“I’m convinced we’re going to get into the fight. We have to work on several aspects to improve because the details that have kept us from getting the three points so far are very small,” he closed firmly.

Los Andes has 37 points in Zone A of the Primera Nacional and sits two points behind Ciudad Bolívar, currently the last team qualifying for the Reducido, and next matchday it will visit Colón in Santa Fe.

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