Atlético Rafaela v San Martín de Formosa: promotion final first leg | OneFootball

Atlético de Rafaela will face the first leg of the grand final for promotion to the Primera Nacional 2026 this Sunday at 5 PM, visiting San Martín de Formosa at the 17 de Octubre stadium.

This will be the first of two chapters that will determine whether the "Crema" returns to the second division or if the Formosa team does, with the rematch scheduled for a week later at the Monumental de Alberdi, where the Rafaela team has remained undefeated throughout the season.

The match will be refereed by Diego Novelli from Tandil, the official appointed to ensure fair play in a clash that promises tension and intensity in the north of the country.

Hope, revenge, and a challenge away from home

The team led by Iván Juárez travels with a mix of hope and caution. Atlético comes from a very solid campaign at home but has faced difficulties away, a factor that the coaching staff acknowledges as a key point for this final. The series will be decided in Alberdi, but the Crema knows that a good result in Formosa can be crucial for paving the way to the much-desired promotion.

Moreover, the team still harbors the thirst for revenge for the final lost against Bolívar in San Nicolás. That sporting wound has turned into fuel for a group that has found cohesion, intensity, and tactical discipline under Juárez's leadership.

San Martín, a tough and confident rival

On the other side is a San Martín de Formosa that is strong in its stadium and arrives motivated after a sustained campaign, with offensive power and defensive order. The Formosa team has already shown that they are difficult to beat at home, so Atlético will need to show character, precision, and a solid defensive structure to sustain the match and strike at the right moments.

The key: focus on the first leg, decide at home

At the Monumental, Atlético built much of its competitive identity. There, they remained undefeated and showed their best collective performances. Therefore, the strategy is to reach the return leg with the series open and the pressure shifted to the visitor. Juárez emphasized during the week the need to "play a smart final," knowing that what happens in Formosa will set the tone for the outcome in Alberdi.

A dream 180 minutes away

The Crema is once again two matches away from returning to the Primera Nacional. And although the path seems to repeat itself, the team arrives more mature, more extensive, and with a conviction strengthened by the work of the entire year. The first step will be taken this Sunday in Formosa; the second, in front of their people.

The dream remains intact. The hope, more alive than ever.

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