Unión eye last-16 spot, must beat Talleres with fans behind them | OneFootball

On the late afternoon-evening in Santa Fe, Unión host Talleres de Córdoba. They will face off starting at 6:45 p.m. at the 15 de Abril Stadium in the previously suspended and postponed Matchday 9 of the 2026 Apertura Tournament. El Tatengue comes into the game having taken just one point from the last nine, but knows that a win against Tévez’s side in Santa Fe will send them into the playoffs without depending on other results.

The match will be televised on ESPN Premium with the Fútbol Pack and broadcast on Radio Gol 96.7 FM, with play-by-play from Sergio “Chango” López and commentary by Julio Martínez.

El Tate had qualification well on track, but in the last three rounds they lost 2-1 to Estudiantes in stoppage time and 3-2 to Newell’s, and drew 2-2 with Vélez. That is why they head into the end of the regular phase with a real chance of making the playoffs (where they had been throughout the tournament), but they could also miss out.

Unión are 8th in Zone A with 20 points, and if they beat Talleres they will secure qualification for the round of 16. If they draw, they need Defensa y Justicia not to take all three points against Gimnasia de Mendoza, or Instituto not to thrash Estudiantes by seven goals in Río Cuarto. If they lose, they will have to wait until Monday and hope that neither El Halcón nor La Gloria take all three points.

For today, head coach Leonardo Madelón will make just one change to the starting XI. The coach brings in Marcelo Estigarribia (who served his one-match suspension for yellow-card accumulation) in place of Nicolás Palavecino, who is also injured.

Meanwhile, La T are coming off a scoreless draw against Estudiantes in La Plata, but before that match they had already sealed their place in the round of 16 thanks to Boca’s 4-0 win over Defensa y Justicia. With 25 points, Talleres are 4th, and a win in Santa Fe would guarantee them home advantage, at least in the first playoff knockout match. If they draw or lose against Unión, they will have to keep an eye on what happens with Lanús, who will host Riestra a few hours earlier, since El Granate have 23 points and could overtake them with a win over El Malevo.

Matchday 9 was moved to the end of the schedule as the final round of the Apertura regular phase because in early March the AFA and all Argentine football officials went on strike, a measure taken in response to tax evasion charges against the Association and some of its most important officials.

Probable lineups

Unión: Matías Mansilla; Lautaro Vargas, Maizon Rodríguez, Juan Pablo Ludueña, Mateo Del Blanco; Julián Palacios, Rafael Profini, Mauro Pittón, Brahian Cuello; Marcelo Estigarribia and Cristian Tarragona. Head coach: Leonardo Carol Madelón.

Talleres: Guido Herrera; Augusto Schott, Matías Catalán, José Luis Palomino and Alexandro Maidana; Mateo Cáceres and Matías Galarza; Valentín Depietri, Franco Cristaldo and Rick; Ronaldo Martínez. Head coach: Carlos Tévez.

Time: 6:45 p.m.

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