With Rasmussen and Lago from the off: Colón to host Central Norte | OneFootball

After the valuable and uplifting victory earned in Puerto Madryn, Colón is already focused on its next challenge at the Brigadier López stadium. This Sunday, starting at 3:30 p.m. and with Maximiliano Macheroni as referee, the Sabalero will host Central Norte in a match that is shaping up to be crucial for keeping its ambitions alive and staying firmly in the fight for the top of Zone A in the Primera Nacional. For this clash, head coach Ezequiel Medrán will be forced to make changes to the starting lineup, though with the advantage of welcoming back two key pieces of his usual team.

Two important returns and one absence that remains

The outlook is favorable for rebuilding the back line with the return of Federico Rasmussen. The center-back served his one-match suspension after reaching the limit of five yellow cards and will reclaim his place in defense. Rasmussen will come in for Nicolás Thaller, who unfortunately suffered a muscle injury during the match against Deportivo Madryn. The other positive update comes in midfield: Ignacio Lago has been medically cleared after recovering from the issue that kept him out of the last trip and will return to the starting lineup to fill the spot left by Ignacio Antonio, who must now serve a one-game suspension for accumulated bookings.

On the other side of the medical report, the bad news for the Sabalero camp is that Pier Barrios is still not fit to return. The experienced defender is still dealing with a muscle problem suffered just before the trip to Chubut and will continue training separately for a few more days. With this mix of returns and absences, Medrán would be expected to field Matías Budiño; Mauro Peinipil, Sebastián Olmedo, Federico Rasmussen and Leandro Allende; Julián Marcioni, Federico Lértora, Matías Muñoz and Ignacio Lago; Darío Sarmiento and Alan Bonansea.

A key matchday to close the gap at the top

Colón will take the field with renewed spirits after the great show of character involved in coming from behind against Deportivo Madryn, a result that restored its confidence and put it right back into the heart of the title race. At the start of this 20th round, the standings show the Santa Fe side five points behind leaders Ferro and just two behind Deportivo Morón, who sit in second place.

For that reason, a home win in front of its fans at the «Elephants’ Graveyard» would be the perfect result in a table that tightens up every weekend. With the historic obligation to be strong at home, the Sabalero will try to reflect its footballing improvement and put together another joyful result at a stage of the competition where every point earned is beginning to carry golden value in pursuit of the final objective.

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