Racing looks to end 14-year drought against Nacional in the clasico chico

It's been nearly 14 years, and Racing still hasn't found the formula. The last time La Escuelita beat Nacional was on March 9, 2012, and since then the two sides have met 26 times without Racing tasting victory again. This Saturday, at the Estadio Centenario, in the second round of the 2026 Clausura Tournament, it gets another chance to snap the streak.

The bigger picture makes it sting even more: across the entire history of the clasico chico, Racing has beaten Nacional just 12 times. And of those 12 wins, the most recent keeps slipping further into the past. That 2012 victory came by a score of 1-0, with a Racing side coached by Jorge Giordano taking all three points thanks to a penalty converted by Anibal Hernandez in the 70th minute. That day, Nacional also played the entire second half a man down after Facundo Piriz was sent off.

There's a detail that adds extra flavor to the story: Nacional's backup goalkeeper that afternoon at the Centenario was none other than Jorge Bava, who now sits on the bench as the tricolor's head coach. From the substitutes' bench to the coach's chair, with Racing still unable to get past him.

A streak with some nuance

From that 1-0 in 2012 to today, the tally reads 21 wins for Nacional and 5 draws across the 26 meetings played. Not a single win for Racing in between. It's worth noting the run wasn't continuous: between 2020 and 2022 Racing played in the second division, so there was no clasico chico in those seasons and the streak was, in a sense, put on pause.

Now the club from Sayago gets another chance to write a new chapter. This is no ordinary match for Racing fans: it's about breaking a mark that hasn't budged in more than a decade, and doing it right at the Centenario, the very stage where that last celebration happened back in 2012.

Nacional, meanwhile, arrives with recent history on its side and with Bava looking to open the Clausura with a win. For Racing, the challenge is twofold: pick up points in the standings and, at the same time, shed a burden that now weighs in at 26 matches.