The city woke up with a different energy. The earlier, almost electric tension that can be felt in the air every time La Plata football competes, once again dominating every corner. The day that everyone from La Plata – and football fans in general – have been waiting for has finally come. This afternoon the second finalist will be determined who will fight for consecration in the Clausura tournament on Saturday. Gimnasia and Estudiantes meet in the semi-finals of the championship at the Bosque Stadium from 5:00 p.m., a classic that paralyzes the capital Buenos Aires.
The refereeing is in the hands of Facundo Tello, supported by Lucas Novelli in the VAR, in a duel where every decision has a certain weight. Television will be provided by ESPN Premium and TNT Sports, while the Supertransmi team will broadcast on FM La Redonda 100.3.
Since yesterday evening and in the early hours of the morning, the city has been dressing up again in classics: flags hanging on balconies, T-shirts on the streets, communions of fans to calm fears and face the afternoon. This time it is the turn of the Tripera fans to host the reception at Juan Carmelo Zerillo, which promises an unforgettable setting. On the other hand, the red-haired fans are preparing the team’s farewell at the City Bell, scheduled for 1:00 p.m., although without a large screen at the Mariano Mangano Stadium.
El Tripero and El Pincha meet again after 11 years in a Mata-Mata definition. The last direct precedent was the 2014 Copa Sudamericana, when Estudiantes won 1-0 on aggregate. However, the current presence of both teams shows a parity that pushes the medal even higher.
Gimnasia comes to this duel after a busy week in the team, which was marked by a team strike due to lack of payments and the change of management. Despite the turmoil, the group quickly returned to Estancia Chica to focus on the ball and maintain the athletic performance they had achieved in the final stretch of the tournament. El Lobo broke the drought, avoided relegation and was among the best of the Clausura, helped by a series of five consecutive wins against River, Vélez, Platense, Unión and Barracas Central. His last fall was on October 19, precisely against Estudiantes, at the UNO Stadium. Since then the team has changed.
Alejandro Piedrahita in place of Jeremías Merlo would be the only change Zaniratto would make
In football analysis, the coaching staff worked on different variants during the week. Alejandro Piedrahíta appears as a candidate for the starting eleven in place of the young Jeremías Merlo, who has already recovered from myalgia. The rest of the team would repeat the base that beat Barracas 2-0 at the Claudio Fabián Tapia Stadium. He will be a recognizable, intense wolf determined to strike again on an afternoon where every detail counts.
On the other side are Estudiantes, who also compete strongly after eliminating Rosario Central and Central Córdoba in a row, two demanding rivals in always complex stadiums. Pincha had a quieter week than the previous ones, although with bad news that changed the planning: Guido Carrillo’s sanction was not reduced and he will only be able to return in a later final. Nevertheless, the team showed competitive strength even without him and the inner self-confidence remained.
Coach Eduardo Domínguez makes it a point to maintain almost all of the structures he uses. The only change that emerges is the entry of the young Mikel Amondarain in place of Ezequiel Piovi, a move that would organize the midfield and allow him to repeat the operation that brought him to this stage.
If you follow this line, basically everything points to the fact that the same players who have shown remarkable performances in recent games will remain.
Estudiantes fans will say goodbye to the team at the country club
In attack, the team would again rely on Facundo Farías and Edwin Cetré, apart from the rumors about a possible presence of Lucas Alario as a reference player in the region, which has lost strength in the last hours.
With these spices, La Plata is preparing to experience the city’s most important sports festival for the third time in 2025. But this time it has a different flavor: it is a classic that not only defines the second finalist of the Clausura, but also has weight because of the date in the calendar, because of the emotional moment of the teams and because of the pulse of a city that beats to the rhythm of the colors. It will be another classic, decisive and full of history. One of those games that will remain etched in the collective memory forever.
So when the sun falls on the forest and the streets of the capital of the province of Buenos Aires darken, one of the two will celebrate and be one step away from glory, because next Saturday the final will be played at the Estadio Único Madre de Ciudades in Santiago del Estero.
It should be noted that in the event of a tie during the regular 90 minutes, there will be an extra time of 30 minutes, divided into two halves of 15 minutes each. If parity remains, the winner will be determined based on the twelve steps.
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