The time for speculation is over. The name of the second team that will compete with San Martín de Tucumán in the final for the first promotion to the Professional League will be known this afternoonwhen the seven matches of the last date of zone B of the tournament of the First Nationalwhich will not only solve that, but also the last classified in the Reduced, a direct relegation and a vacancy in the tiebreaker for the second relegation. The matches will start at 3:05 p.m. and can be followed through TyC Sports.
Five contenders, with very different chances, aspire to first place in the zone, whose owner will face San Martín from Tucumán (winner with a comfortable advantage in zone A) in the final for the first promotion and for the title of champion of the season ( that match will be played next weekend on neutral ground). A detail that may be relevant for the definition: in case of equality of points, First place will be decided by goal difference and, if necessary, by the number of goals scored and by the results recorded in the matches between the teams involved.
As leader of the area, he will begin the day Deportivo Madrynwho reached that position on the last date thanks to the striking victory they achieved in their stadium against Almirante Brown: the team led by Leandro Gracián, who had scored 29 goals in 36 games, scored five in 26 minutes to win 5 to 1. That result left the Patagonian team with 63 points, a goal difference of +15 and 34 goals in favor. With destiny in his hands, he will visit Brigadier General Estanislao López with Colón, who is bidding for access to the Reduced
Just a step back appears New Chicagowhich gave up the lead on Sunday by drawing 0-0 with Temperley. The cast led by Andrés Montenegro He also has 63 points, a goal difference of +14 and 38 goals in favor. With the mission of winning and with an attentive eye to what happens in Santa Fe, those from Mataderos will receive Brown from Adrogué, an urgent rival who intends to avoid direct relegation.
The other three candidates will wait for Deportivo Madryn and Nueva Chicago to stumble before starting to do the math. The surprising San Telmo (62 points and +26) and Aldosivi (61 and +15) They will meet at the José María Minella in Mar del Plata, while Mendoza Gymnastics (60 and +9)who depends on a giant carom to reach the top, will receive Almagro, who plays alone to complete his schedule.
These five teams (except the one that played the final) and Belgrano defenders (58 points) have already assured their presence in the Reducedin which those placed between second and eighth place in each group will compete (in the second round the loser of the final for the first promotion will join). In this area there are still two vacancies at stake, which will also be resolved, in the event of equality of points, by goal difference and, if necessary, by the number of goals scored.
Colón (57 and +14) He has a foot and a half inside the mini-contest, although he will not have an easy stop: he will face the leader Deportivo Madryn. Gymnastics and Shooting (55 and +4)which is also qualifying at the moment, will face Defensores de Belgrano in its fiefdom. AND Miter (54 and +6)who did not lose in their last 15 presentations, will receive Chaco For Ever with the hope that the Salteños give up.
There will also be definitions at the bottom of the table this afternoon. There, the picture is much simpler: the only ones involved in the dispute are Brown from Adrogué and Atlético de Rafaela, who are equal on 29 points. The Tricolor will face Nueva Chicago in Mataderos, while the Santa Fe team, who in their last six appearances did not lose and only conceded one goal, will visit Estudiantes in Rio Cuarto, who no longer have a chance of entering the Reduced.
Atlético de Rafaela, which has not lost in its last six appearances, is excited to avoid relegation. Photo: Atlético de Rafaela Mutual Social and Sports Association Press.The bottom of the area will fall directly to Primera B (if it is Brown) or to the Federal A Tournament (if it is Atlético), while the second-to-last team will play a head-to-head match with the second-to-last team in the other group to resolve the third relegation. In the event of equality in points, goal difference will not come into play, but rather a tiebreaker must be played between those involved. Therefore, the equation for the contenders is simple: whoever scores the most today will avoid direct relegation. If they achieve similar results, they will have to play heads-up next week.
Zone A of the tournament will be resolved on Sunday. With San Martín de Tucumán already installed in the final and with San Martín de San Juan, Quilmes, Gimnasia de Jujuy, All Boys and Estudiantes already classified to the Reducedthe last two tickets for the mini-contest will be put into play and the direct relegation and the vacancy in the tiebreaker for the third relegation will also be resolved.
This is how the last date of zone B will be played
Saturday October 26
15.05: Colon – Deportivo Madryn
15.05: New Chicago – Brown by Adrogué
15.05: Aldosivi – San Telmo
15.05: Mendoza Gymnastics – Almagro
15.05: Gymnastics and Shooting – Belgrano Defenders
15.05: Mitre – Chaco For Ever
15.05: Students of Río Cuarto – Atlético de Rafaela
Monday October 28
15.00: Admiral Brown-United Defenders
Wednesday October 30
15.00: Deportivo Morón-Temperley