Central and Newell's will host a special Rosario derby, and Di María faces his first major test since his return to Argentina.

Despite what fans of the traditionally considered "big" teams might think, the most thrilling match of the sixth round of the Clausura Tournament will be played on Saturday at 5:30 p.m. at the Gigante de Arroyito, where Rosario Central , with Ángel Di María , will host Newell's in the 280th official edition of the city's classic. The match will be refereed by Darío Herrera and broadcast on ESPN Premium.

Matchups between these archrivals always have a special intensity, regardless of the circumstances. This time, the clash will have the added spice of Di María's presence, who will face Newell's after 6,684 days and for the third time in his career.

The first time was on April 2, 2006, when they drew 0-0 at the Gigante stadium in the 13th round of the Clausura Tournament. That afternoon, Angelito came on in the 22nd minute of the second half for Eduardo Coudet. His second derby ended in a losing effort: his team lost 1-0 at Parque Independencia thanks to a goal from Paraguayan Oscar Cardozo on May 6, 2007, also in the 13th round of the Clausura. That time, the world champion shared the attack with Gonzalo Belloso, now the club's president. And Cristian González missed a penalty.

Those two classics were played, in line with tradition, on a Sunday. This time it will be on a Saturday, something that has become a custom for Central : all of its matches in the current tournament have been played on the sixth day of the week. The same will happen next week, when it will visit Sarmiento at the Eva Perón Stadium in Junín on Saturday, August 30 at 7:15 p.m.

In the five previous Saturdays of action, Central has remained undefeated, but has only emerged victorious once (against Lanús) and has only scored three goals. What's striking is that at its stadium, which had been a fortress in recent years, it has yet to win: it has drawn consecutively with Godoy Cruz, San Martín de San Juan, and Deportivo Riestra.

While his ultra-attacking approach hasn't been echoed by rival networks, Ariel Holan will once again rely on the five attacking players he used in his team's last match: Ignacio Malcorra, Jaminton Campaz, Enzo Copetti, and Alejo Veliz will accompany Di María.

However, the coach will have to make a change in defense, as Juan Giménez suffered a severe sprain to his right knee against Deportivo Riestra, damaging his anterior cruciate and internal lateral ligaments (he will need surgery). His replacement will be Juan Cruz Komar , unless Uruguayan Facundo Mallo , who is recovering from a muscle injury, is fit to play.

On the other hand, the present isn't particularly bright either. After the victory in their debut against Independiente Rivadavia in Mendoza, Newell's failed to win again: they lost to Banfield and then drew three consecutive matches. These results and a decline in performance generated discontent among many fans. But that has been put aside these days. In fact, a crowd supported the players on Thursday at the Coloso during the traditional flag-waving ceremony before the Clásico.

After fielding a lineup comprised of players who don't usually start in last week's match against Defensa y Justicia in Florencio Varela, Cristian Fabbiani will once again rely on his most trusted players and the formation that has given him the best results, with three center backs and two full-backs in the back line.

The coach will have to fill the gap left by the absence of Luca Regiardo, who was sent off two weeks ago against Central Córdoba and received a two-match suspension. Barring any surprises, David Sotelo will take his place and partner Éver Banega in the central midfield.

Saturday's edition will be the 280th official edition of this classic , whose history began on June 18, 1905 (that day, Newell's won 1-0 with a goal from Faustino González). Central won 97 times, their archrivals achieved 77 victories, they drew 103 times, and there were two matches in which the Argentine Football Association declared both teams lost . The 20-match advantage in favor of Canalla is the largest advantage in the team's history.

Since Central returned to the First Division in 2013, they have established their dominance in this duel, achieving 14 wins and only losing twice (plus six draws). The last four Clásicos have ended in victories for the Auriazules. The last time the Red and Black team celebrated their victory was on March 20, 2022, when the team coached by Javier Sanguinetti won 1-0 at the Gigante stadium with a goal from Juan Manuel García in the seventh round of the Copa de la Liga Profesional de Fútbol.

Rosario Central: Jorge Broun; Franco Ibarra; Angel Di Maria; Enzo Copetti; Alejo Veliz. Coach: Ariel Holan.

Newell's Old Boys: Juan Espínola; Alejo Montero, Luciano Lollo, Fabián Noguera, Victor Cuesta, Ángelo Martino; David Sotelo, Ever Banega; Luciano Herrera, Gonzalo Maroni, Carlos González. Coach: Cristian Fabbiani.

Stadium: Giant of Arroyito.

Streaming: ESPN Premium.