Central begin Almirón era, face Belgrano at Gigante de Arroyito | OneFootball

With the new coach on the bench, the Canalla faces the Cordobés Pirate this Saturday from 10 PM for the first match of the championship. Jeremías Ledesma is expected to be the goalkeeper in a team that maintains the core from last year. The match will be officiated by Yael Falcón Pérez.

The moment of truth begins for Central. With the debut of coach Jorge Almirón, they will face Belgrano de Córdoba this Saturday at 10 PM at the Gigante de Arroyito for the first match of the 2026 Apertura Tournament.

Based on their performance last season, the Canalla has already shown that they have the potential to compete for the title, although now they must confirm all of that under the leadership of Almirón, the name chosen by the management to replace the outgoing Ariel Holan.

Tonight's match in Arroyito will also mark the beginning for the auriazul team of a year with a lot of competition, with the Copa Libertadores —they are qualified for the group stage— as the main goal, always aligned behind Ángel Di María.

The squad has been reinforced with goalkeeper Jeremías Ledesma (River), defender Gastón Ávila (Fortaleza/Ajax), Chilean midfielder Vicente Pizarro (Colo-Colo), and left-back Alexis Soto (Defensa). The most notable departure was Ignacio Malcorra, who, after failing to reach an agreement for renewal, left for Independiente de Avellaneda.

Of the new signings, only Ledesma and Pizarro are expected to be starters in the debut. Ávila was ruled out due to an ankle sprain, while Agustín Sández will play as the left-back. The formation chosen by Almirón is 4-2-3-1.

Meanwhile, Belgrano had a significant overhaul in their squad. In total, the club parted ways with 16 players, including their top scorer Franco Jara, but secured the returns of Emiliano Rigoni and Franco Vázquez.

Probable line-ups

Central: Jeremías Ledesma; Emanuel Coronel, Facundo Mallo, Ignacio Ovando, Agustín Sández; Franco Ibarra, Vicente Pizarro; Enzo Giménez, Ángel Di María, Jaminton Campaz; and Alejo Veliz. Coach: Jorge Almirón.

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