- Recent form: Atletico de Rafaela have gone five matches without a win, losing the last three consecutive.
- Chicago form: Nueva Chicago have won one, drawn two and lost two of their last five matches in all competitions.
- Head-to-head: The last meeting between these two sides in Primera Nacional 2026 finished 0-0 at Nueva Chicago's ground, with Rafaela having failed to win any of the past three meetings (D1, L2).
Atletico de Rafaela are in a rut
Atletico de Rafaela have been in a slump lately and head into Saturday's game as 2.12 favorites, just ahead of the visitors at 3.95 and the tie at 2.82. Rafaela have been in terrible form, going five games without a victory and losing the past three consecutive in all competitions.
Their most recent sequence reads as cold as the winter weather – 1-0 at Almagro, 1-3 home defeat to Deportivo Maipu, and 2-0 loss at Temperley. The home side are 17th in Primera Nacional 2026 with 27 points from 21 games, while Nueva Chicago are 19th with 26 points from 20 matches, so this is an important matchup.
Goals are not expected in a cagey affair
Rafaela's setup
Iván Juárez's side have played a more compact shape in general, with their midfielders focusing on balance and their forwards not always in the most advanced positions.
Nueva Chicago outlook
That will not suit Nueva Chicago, who play a higher tempo and prefer to press hard and win the ball back as high up the field as possible, with counterattacks their best chance of creating.
Germán Lanaro's side come into this matchup following a 1-0 away loss to Tristan Suarez and a 1-1 home draw with Agropecuario, so they can stay in games but lack the winning edge to take the three points.
Players to watch
- Martiniano Moreno is Rafaela's main man up top, with his six goals from 20 appearances.
- Mauro Simon Perez has provided a little more edge for Chicago with two goals in the team's last five, in which they have netted five.
- Maximiliano Rogoski has been their clearest threat in the final third with five goals from 20 games in Primera Nacional 2026, so Rafaela will be happy to keep it out.
Rafaela’s compact play could yield reward
The under 2.5 goals market at 1.35 fits the low-scoring lean, but the underlying stats indicate that this is a low-scoring matchup and not a potential shootout. Both teams to score – No, at 1.5, also appeals as we believe the game will be a tough, tight matchup, with Rafaela just having the edge by virtue of their more compact nature.
That said, Rafaela will be relying on Moreno's goals as their attack have not been as fluid in recent weeks and, in this sort of game, one strike could be enough to win it.
