By Tom Nash.
Argentine fans will go back to business as usual this weekend after an unforgettable summer that saw wild celebrations on a scale most people had never seen before in the country.
The format is simple to understand thankfully, which is not always the case in Argentina. The 28 teams will play each other once and a champion will be crowned in August.
The favourites are all familiar names.
BOCA JUNIORS
Boca are the reigning champions after a dramatic final day where they depended on eternal rivals River Plate giving them a hand by avoiding defeat to Racing.
They undoubtedly start out as one of the favourites again, but are facing one significant inconvenience.
Goalkeeper Agustin Rossi was pivotal last year, making save after save to keep Boca moving in the right direction.
Over the summer he was tempted by the riches of Flamengo and signed a pre-contract for July when he becomes a free agent.
The club were naturally uneasy about this so he will spend the next six months on loan at Al Nassr with Cristiano Ronaldo and not play at La Bombonera again.
RACING
Some people will see Racing as the prime candidates.
Fresh from two Super Cup wins over Boca Juniors in recent months, they now seem determined to go on and lift more important silverware.
Their manager Fernando Gago has implanted a distinct style which will almost certainly see them in the leading pack this year.
RIVER PLATE
River Plate enter the unfamiliar territory of a new era, as their legendary manager Marcelo Gallardo decided to move on after eight and a half years at the club.
Martin Demichelis left his job at Bayern Munich to take up the daunting challenge of replacing him.
The addition of Nacho Fernandez, returning from Atlético Mineiro, boosts their chances, as does the recent form of some of their forwards like Miguel Borja.
At first glance the title is likely to be claimed by one of those three clubs. The other two teams belonging to Argentina’s “Big Five” are San Lorenzo and Independiente, but neither looks capable of shaking off their internal issues and putting together a credible title challenge.
Outside of that there is interesting talent popping up all over the league, notably at Velez, Newell’s, and Rosario Central. Those clubs will find it hard to go the distance over 27 rounds with Los Grandes, however.
It all kicked off on Friday night with Rosario Central beating Argentinos Juniors.
COMMENTS