Two matches, and in each the key question is who can actually put the ball in the net. Costa Rica need a win at Saprissa to stay in League A, so they will throw numbers forward against a Haiti side that hurts teams on the break. In Río Cuarto it's the other way round: Estudiantes have hardly scored all season, and Racing arrive with a new interim coach who wants the ball. The goals in one game and the lack of them in the other come from how these teams match up.
Start with Costa Rica. When they lost 2-0 in Haiti in the reverse fixture, the scoreline flattered Haiti. Costa Rica had 20 shots, 7 on target and 14 from inside the box, Alexandre Pierre made seven saves, and Haiti's second goal was an own goal. Batista was sacked after that game, and Bryan Ruiz's first match in charge was a 3-0 win in Nicaragua.
Haiti don't need much of the ball. They scored in all three group games, nine goals in total, including two from just six shots against this same opponent. Costa Rica conceded four at home to Curaçao and have to come out and chase this one, which leaves exactly the space Isidor and Bellegarde like to run into.
Now Río Cuarto. Estudiantes have scored five goals in their last ten games and one in five at home. They've failed to score in 12 of their last 20, and their expected goals have stayed low game after game, so this isn't bad luck. At home they defend deep and concede little, with results of 0-0, 0-1, 1-0, 0-0 and 0-2.
Racing sacked Vojvoda after blowing a two-goal lead against Boca in the cup. Interim coach Sebastián Romero has gone back to a back four in a 4-3-3 built around possession. That means Racing passing around a deep block, against a home side that rarely threatens at the other end.
