With the duel for the loss in the World Cup final still in process, the footballers regain oxygen: the Torneo Clausura 2026 starts this Thursday, that is, Argentine football returns. And not just that, but with the visit of Rosario Central to the home of the newly crowned champion, Belgrano de Córdoba. The duel between canallas and pirates will be the first of this championship that maintains the dispute system of the previous tournament. It plays from 19.30 and is directed by Sebastián Zunino. It transmits Radio 2.

The team of Jorge Almirón comes from being eliminated by River in the semifinals of the Torneo Apertura and seeks revenge in this second semester. No longer will they have Alejo Véliz in the attack, Carlos Quintana in the back or Jorge Broun in the goal; but they will try to fill those absences with Tomás Badaloni, Sebastián Zaracho and Axel Werner. In addition, the arrival of Franco Cervi seeks to give more alternatives to the DT. The team has a double objective because in two weeks they will play for the octavos of the Copa Libertadores against Corinthians, but they cannot take their eyes off the local tournament, in which they were competitive in the last editions.

For this match, Almirón will not count on Marco Ruben or Ovando, injured. So, Tomás Badaloni would have his debut forward and Facundo Mallo would play in the back. Campaz, who comes with rodaje for the World Cup, or Cantizano is the doubt. On the other hand, Belgrano prepares a party in its stadium after getting its first title in Primera División. After being crowned against River in the past Torneo Apertura, the Pirate arrives with the need to fuel the enthusiasm of its fans who will fill the Julio Cesar Villagra.

The team of Ricardo Zielinski has an incógnita pasa for one of the laterals: Leonardo Morales or Alcides Benítez. ## Probable formation of Rosario Central Jeremías Ledesma; Emmanuel Coronel, Facundo Mallo, Gastón Ávila, Agustín Sández; Franco Ibarra, Vicente Pizarro; Julián Fernández, Di María, Cantizano or Campaz and Tomás Badaloni. DT: Jorge Almirón ## Probable formation of Belgrano Thiago Cardozo; Leonardo Morales or Alcides Benítez, Alexis Maldonado, Lisandro López, Adrián Sporle; Emiliano Rigoni, Adrián Sánchez, Franco Vázquez, Juan Velázquez; Lucas Zelarayán and Lucas Passerini. DT: Ricardo Zielinski.

At this moment, Rosario Central is in 11th place in the Copa de la Liga Profesional with 15 points, 4 wins, 3 draws and 7 losses in 14 games, with a recent streak of DLLLW. In the league, they have scored 10 goals and have received 18 in total, with a difference of -8 goals. In the table of positions, they are 14 points behind the leaders Boca Juniors. Their last result was a 2-1 win over Gimnasia L.P. on February 25, 2026. Their recent streak is 1 win and 4 losses in the last 5 games. Their next game is at home against Gimnasia L.P. on August 30, 2026.