River looks to halt its slide against unbeaten leader Argentinos Juniors

El Monumental hosts a match of extreme contrasts in Argentina's Primera División: River Plate, buried at the bottom of the table, welcomes an Argentinos Juniors side arriving as the unbeaten leader. Rarely does a standings table paint such a stark picture of the gap between two rosters that, on paper, should both be fighting near the top.

How the Teams Arrive

River is in the middle of an alarming start to the season: in the tournament log the club has played four matches with zero wins, zero draws and four losses, scoring zero goals and conceding four. Recent form confirms the crisis, with five losses in the last five matches. Despite that grim record, the team's per-match scoring average this season (1.76 scored and 1 conceded) hints at an offense with real capability that simply hasn't translated into points in this recent stretch. Sebastian Driussi and Gonzalo Montiel, with four goals apiece, stand out as the team's top scorers, alongside Facundo Colidio with three.

Argentinos Juniors, on the other hand, sits in first place in Group B with a perfect record: four matches played, four wins, nine goals scored and only three allowed. Its recent form shows four wins and a draw over the last five outings. Tomas Molina, with three goals, and Hernan Lopez and Nicolas Oroz, with two each, lead the attacking production. The points gap between the two sides stands at 12, a chasm that underscores the visitor's strong run of form.

Head to Head

History doesn't favor River either: of eight meetings between the clubs, Argentinos Juniors has won six, two ended in draws and River has never come out on top. The aggregate goal tally, 6 for River against 12 for Argentinos, reinforces a historical trend clearly tilted toward the visitors.

Possible Lineups

In an estimated, unconfirmed lineup, River could start Santiago Beltran in goal, with Lucas Martinez Quarta, Nicolas Otamendi, Gonzalo Montiel and Marcos Acuña across the back line; Tomas Galvan, Joaquin Freitas, Anibal Moreno, Fausto Vera and Facundo Colidio in midfield, and Rafael Borre leading the line up top.

Argentinos Juniors, with a somewhat more reliable projection, would line up with Brayan Cortes between the posts; Sebastian Prieto, Francisco Alvarez and Kevin Coronel in defense; Nicolas Oroz, Alan Lescano, Facundo Jainikoski, Hernan Lopez and Kevin Gutierrez in midfield, and Tomas Molina alongside Gaston Veron up front.

Match Probabilities

These figures, an in-house estimate based on the season's trends rather than betting odds, make River the favorite despite its dismal current form, a result that can be explained by home field advantage and by the expected goals numbers: 1.52 for River against 1 for Argentinos Juniors, for a combined total of 2.52. The over 2.5 goals trend sits at 46% and both teams to score sits at 54%, pointing to a match with scoring chances for both sides, without an overwhelming favorite.

With River desperate to snap a five-match losing streak and Argentinos Juniors determined to keep its perfect record intact, El Monumental will host a clash where history and the standings back the visitors, but home advantage and the host's urgent need for points could level a match that, by the numbers, is far from decided in advance.