Around here we never (OK, sometimes) get tired of pointing out that Argentine football is an organism in constant flux. Even when it looks entirely the same, a closer look will reveal that everything has changed. There is no better example than the line-up for the Apertura play-offs, which kick off this weekend with the last 16.
Take Sunday’s meeting between Estudiantes and Racing Club – on the surface it would come as no surprise to see these teams battling in the decisive phases of the Liga Profesional de Fùtbol. After all, as recently as December, Estudiantes and Racing played out an agonising Clausura final in Santiago del Estero, which was decided on penalties in favour of the Pincha. Surely, this clash once more brings together two of Argentina’s best sides in what should be an unforgettable 90 minutes?
Not quite. While Estudiantes have maintained largely the same efficient, mechanical course through the first half of 2026, despite losing coach Sebastián Domínguez over the summer, quite the opposite has occurred in Avellaneda. Racing opened the Apertura with three straight losses and, after righting the ship, nosedived once again following their Clásico defeat at the hands of Independiente (the famous ‘Why did Maravilla chip that f***ing penalty?’ match).
La Academia literally staggered into the play-offs despite failing to win any of their last five Liga games, while including the Copa Sudamericana they have won just once in their most recent nine outings, against the less than mighty Independiente Petrolero. Their very presence in these play-offs is a sign not so much of their own merits, but just how mediocre most of the other teams in the top flight are right now.
Things came to a head in Racing’s last home games, uninspired draws against Barracas and Huracán, with president and club legend Diego Milito for the first time hearing some of the unpleasant songs every support has in its repertoire for directors overseeing a rapidly sinking ship. A handful of more creative fans even papered over Milito’s own street sign just outside the Cilindro with coach Gustavo Costas’ name – a clear sign of whom they believe responsible for the current malaise. But on and off-field aside they are still in the mix, and with the Liga’s penchant for upsets it would barely come as a shock to see Estudiantes humbled in this opening round.
Another man who knows just how quickly moods can change is Eduardo Coudet. After a sparkling start as Marcelo Gallardo’s successor, ‘Chacho’ has received a reality check in recent weeks, losing the Superclásico at the hands of Boca and finishing the regular season with defeat at home to Atlético Tucumán, a result that prompted a hearty round of jeers and whistles at the Monumental. River will hope to have the crowd fully behind them on Sunday evening when San Lorenzo visit, one of two tantalising derbies thrown up in this round – pride of place going to an all-Córdoba clash between Belgrano and Talleres that promises to bring the city to a standstill.
Speaking of changes, Independiente Rivadavia and Vélez Sarsfield begin their play-off quest as two of the best teams in the league after distinctly average campaigns in 2025 (the former, of course, compensating with Copa Argentina glory) and will be looking for fairly straightforward progress to the quarters at the expense of Unión and Gimnasia respectively. Boca too, with seven wins and one defeat in their last nine, though nobody at La Bombonera will be underestimating Huracán after several early playoff slips these past years.
Because one thing we learned last year, after Platense and Estudiantes’ triumphs following indifferent league records, is that the knockout phase has no respect for what you did earlier, and gives struggling teams a golden opportunity to turn heads. Or perhaps that too will change, and it will be the Clausura’s finest fighting for glory in the final less than a month from now?
Anything can happen, and those players and teams currently facing boos from the stands could well be cheered and feted by the time the Apertura comes to a close.
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