Independiente Rivadavia
- Independiente Rivadavia are undefeated in their last five matches in all competitions, including a 1-1 away draw against Fluminense and a 4-1 win over Deportivo La Guaira in the Libertadores.
- Rivadavia finished as top of Zone B in the Torneo Apertura 2026 with 34 points from 16 matches.
Unión Santa Fe
- Union Santa Fe have won two, drawn two and lost one of their last five domestic matches, highlighted by a wild 4-4 away draw against Independiente, and solid home wins over Riestra and Agropecuario.
- With a full squad to choose from, Berti may rotate a couple of starters after Thursday’s Libertadores game, but Unión have been a little inconsistent this year and are yet to deliver a convincing performance.
Head-to-Head
The teams are tied in their three most recent official clashes ( one win each, one 2-2 draw in September 2025 ) and are difficult to separate on paper, although the odds on the game, which should be a close affair, reflect the hosts as marginal favorites.
Key Players
- Luciano Gómez keeps things organized in defence and the goalkeeping partnership of Ramiro Macagno and Matías Bolcato have been good in their unbeaten run in all competitions.
- Álex Arce has been their spearhead, scoring some big goals in the Libertadores, including the one that put them into the next round against Fluminense with a 1-1 draw away in Rio de Janeiro, but Fabrizio Sartori gives them some direct width from the wide midfield positions.
- Estigarribia, Del Blanco and Julian Palacios have also hit the net or assisted in timely fashion for Unión, making this a side that can be unpredictable in terms of how they will approach a match or where their goals will come from.
- Cristian Tarragona is Unión’s leading goal-scorer with six goals in the Apertura and is usually their main attacking threat, especially in and around the box and on set plays.
Betting Insights
- Rivadavia are 2.37 with Unión available at 3.27 and the draw at 2.94, which seems very possible given the unpredictability of Unión’s play and the knockout nature of the cup.
- The under 2.5 goals market at 1.6 looks a tad on the short side because these clubs are both in the habit of producing open affairs and we expect Unión to leave their attacking mark on this game.
Prediction
- But the hosts have the home advantage, the better league form and the momentum of the continent, so we’re backing Rivadavia to nick this one in the full time with the possibility of extra time and penalties.
- The winner stays in the hunt for an unlikely Primera title, while the loser goes home.
