The Cordoba derby has a habit, and it's a strong one. Seven of the last eight meetings between Talleres and Belgrano finished with nothing between the sides, four of them goalless. The pattern has held through changes of coach and changes in which club was stronger. With Talleres missing their striker and Belgrano so hard to beat away from home, I expect this one to follow the same script.
Go back to 2023 and the derby has gone 0-0, 1-1, 2-2, 1-1, 0-0, 1-1 and 0-0, with Belgrano's 1-0 win at Talleres the only break. These games are tense and cagey, and both benches seem more afraid of losing than eager to win.
Belgrano under Ricardo Zielinski fit that mood perfectly. Away from home they've won once and drawn three of four, and they've conceded just one goal on the road. They don't open up, and they rarely need to.
Talleres are in a strange spot. Omar De Felippe took over from Jorge Sampaoli only a few games ago, and he has to do without Agustin Alvarez Martinez, who's serving the second game of a ban after his red card against Instituto. That takes away the forward who usually stretches defences.
Both teams come in after a two-week break with no midweek game on either side. Add a new coach and a missing striker to a derby that rarely produces a winner, and I expect the same tight, nervy afternoon at the Kempes that this fixture has served up for years.
