Torneo Clausura round 13 preview: Defensa host Instituto, Belgrano host River and Racing host Independiente

This preview covers 14 of the 15 matches in round 13 of the Torneo Clausura, from Thursday to Monday; Deportivo Riestra v Unión, which closes the round on Monday night, 19 October, is not included. The match to watch first is on Friday in Florencio Varela: Defensa y Justicia, second in Zona A on 24 points, host Instituto, the leaders on 26. In Zona B, Rosario Central, Belgrano and Argentinos Juniors are level on 22, and on Sunday Belgrano host River. The inter-zone match is the Avellaneda derby: Racing v Independiente.

Thursday 15 October

Huracán v Gimnasia de La Plata (20:00 Buenos Aires time). Zona B, at the Tomás Adolfo Ducó. Huracán and Gimnasia de La Plata both have 19 points, three behind the leaders, and Huracán's J. Caicedo has 13 goals. Huracán won 3–0 in La Plata in April 2026; in November 2024 it was 0–0 in Parque Patricios.

Friday 16 October

Defensa y Justicia v Instituto (19:00 Buenos Aires time). Zona A, at the Norberto Tomaghello. Instituto are two points ahead of Defensa and five ahead of Boca and Vélez, and their eight wins are the most in the zone. Instituto won the last two meetings, 2–0 in April 2026 and 4–1 in August 2024, both in Córdoba; Defensa won 1–0 at home in April 2023.

Boca v Talleres (21:30 Buenos Aires time). Zona A, at the Bombonera. Boca are third on 21 points and have lost only one of their 12 matches; Talleres are bottom of the zone on nine. Boca won 1–0 in Córdoba in April 2026 and 2–0 at the Bombonera in November 2025. According to La Nación, Boca come into the match having lost the first leg of their Copa Sudamericana semi-final 1–0 to Vasco da Gama at the Bombonera, with the second leg on Tuesday, and with Leandro Paredes recovering from a grade-two hamstring tear; "Now we have to think about Talleres," said Rodolfo Arruabarrena.

Saturday 17 October

Banfield v Argentinos Juniors (15:00 Buenos Aires time). Zona B, at the Florencio Sola. Banfield are 11th on 13 points; Argentinos are third on goal difference. Argentinos have won the last five meetings, the most recent 3–2 in April 2026.

Independiente Rivadavia v Tigre (17:30 Buenos Aires time). Zona B, at the Juan Bautista Gargantini. Independiente Rivadavia are eighth on 18 points, the last qualifying place; Tigre, 12th on 12, have lost their last five matches. Independiente Rivadavia won the last three meetings, the most recent 1–0 in the Copa Argentina in July 2026.

Platense v Lanús (17:30 Buenos Aires time). Zona A. Platense are 13th on 11 points; Lanús, fifth on 20, have conceded nine goals, and only Belgrano, with seven, have conceded fewer. Three of the last four meetings ended 0–0, the most recent in April 2026; Lanús won 2–1 in September 2025.

Atlético Tucumán v Rosario Central (20:00 Buenos Aires time). Zona B, at the Monumental José Fierro. Atlético Tucumán are 10th on 14 points; Rosario Central lead the zone on goal difference, +8, and Á. Di María has 10 goals. Tucumán have not beaten Central in the last five meetings: Central won 2–1 in Rosario in April 2026, and in August 2025 it was 0–0 in Tucumán.

Vélez v Gimnasia de Mendoza (20:00 Buenos Aires time). Zona A. Vélez, fourth on 21 points, lost their first match of the Clausura at Lanús on Monday; Gimnasia de Mendoza, sixth on 20, have a 13-goal scorer in A. Módica. The only meeting on record is Gimnasia's 3–2 win in Mendoza in April 2026.

Sunday 18 October

Racing v Independiente (14:45 Buenos Aires time). The inter-zone match and the Avellaneda derby. Racing are 13th in Zona B on 11 points, seven off the top eight, and have lost seven of their 12 matches; Independiente are seventh in Zona A on 18, and G. Ávalos has 11 goals. Racing have not won the derby since a 1–0 win at Independiente's ground in February 2024; since then there have been two 0–0 draws, a 1–1 and Independiente's 1–0 win in April 2026.

Estudiantes de La Plata v San Lorenzo (18:00 Buenos Aires time). Zona A, at the Jorge Luis Hirschi. Both sides have 14 points, three behind Newell's in eighth. San Lorenzo have scored five goals in 12 matches, the fewest in the tournament, while Estudiantes de La Plata have scored 15. San Lorenzo won 1–0 in April 2026; the four meetings before that were all drawn.

Estudiantes de Río Cuarto v Aldosivi (18:00 Buenos Aires time). Zona B, a meeting of the bottom two. Estudiantes de Río Cuarto have won one of their 12 matches and lost their last five; according to Infobae, the defeat by River confirmed their relegation to the Primera Nacional. Aldosivi have eight points. The three meetings on record were all drawn, the last 0–0 in Mar del Plata in April 2026.

Belgrano v River (20:15 Buenos Aires time). Zona B. Belgrano are second on 22 points and have the best defence in the tournament, with seven goals conceded; River are ninth on 16 with a match in hand, two off the top eight. According to El Doce, the match will be played at the Kempes with River fans allowed in, in the Willington stand. Belgrano won the last meeting 3–2, in May 2026; River had won 3–0 in April.

Monday 19 October

Newell's v Central Córdoba (19:00 Buenos Aires time). Zona A, at the Marcelo Bielsa. Newell's are eighth on 17 points, the last qualifying place, and have conceded nine goals; Central Córdoba are 14th on 10, and M. Santos has nine goals. Newell's won 3–1 in Santiago del Estero in April 2026; Central Córdoba had won two of the three meetings before that.

Sarmiento v Barracas Central (19:00 Buenos Aires time). Zona B, at the Eva Perón. Sarmiento are fourth on 19 points with a match in hand, and J. Marabel is the joint top scorer with 14; Barracas Central are seventh on 18. Barracas have not beaten Sarmiento in the last five meetings: Sarmiento won 2–1 away in April 2026 and 1–0 in September 2025.

The zones before Thursday

Points, with matches played in brackets. The top eight in each zone go through to the round of 16; the bar marks the cut-off. The figures do not include Sarmiento v River, from round 11, which was being played on Wednesday night, 14 October.

• Zona A: Instituto 26 (12); Defensa y Justicia 24 (12); Boca 21 (12); Vélez 21 (12); Lanús 20 (12); Gimnasia de Mendoza 20 (12); Independiente 18 (12); Newell's 17 (12) | Estudiantes de La Plata 14 (12); San Lorenzo 14 (12); Unión 13 (12); Deportivo Riestra 11 (12); Platense 11 (12); Central Córdoba 10 (12); Talleres 9 (12).
• Zona B: Rosario Central 22 (12); Belgrano 22 (12); Argentinos Juniors 22 (12); Sarmiento 19 (11); Huracán 19 (12); Gimnasia de La Plata 19 (12); Barracas Central 18 (12); Independiente Rivadavia 18 (12) | River 16 (11); Atlético Tucumán 14 (12); Banfield 13 (12); Tigre 12 (12); Racing 11 (12); Aldosivi 8 (12); Estudiantes de Río Cuarto 6 (12).

Numbers to know

• Unión's C. Tarragona and Sarmiento's J. Marabel have 14 goals; Gimnasia de Mendoza's A. Módica and Huracán's J. Caicedo have 13.
• Belgrano have conceded seven goals in 12 matches, the fewest in the tournament; San Lorenzo have scored five, the fewest.
• Three teams are level on 22 points at the top of Zona B, separated by goal difference: +8, +7 and +5.
• Tigre and Estudiantes de Río Cuarto have lost their last five matches.

Both zones in full, with kick-off times in Buenos Aires time, are on the Liga Profesional page.

Sources for the context: La Nación, Infobae, El Doce.