The 2024 League Cup match draft: when the Superclásico is played and why Riestra has four home games in a row

The 2024 Professional League Cup calendar is not yet official but the most important data is already known. The first tournament of the year will begin on January 27, with 26 of the 28 teams that in 2023 will play in the same areas as the last championship which had Rosario Central as champion. They will have it too the same rivals to this day but with reversed positions. So it will be the “classics day”. February 25th (River will receive Boca at the Monumental stadium) and the two new ones will be Independiente Rivadavia de Mendoza and Deportivo Riestra, who will play in Zone A because Colón and Arsenal were there, both relegated.

There is a legal issue why the Argentine Football Federation (AFA) cannot yet officially broadcast the match programme: we will have to wait for the definition of the Disciplinary Tribunal regarding Columbus’ claims cancel its descent. It is unlikely that the request will be rejected but until this happens it will not be possible to formalize the planning of the first competition of the year, the League Cup.

The format is fresh because it is the Cup just dedicated to Rosario Central, who defeated Platense in the final. The 14 teams are divided into two zones, A and B, 14 dates will be played (in the seventh there will be the interzonals, the real classics and the pairings), there will be three dates during the week, and the top four in each zone will compete and will qualify for the quarter-finals, which will be played in a single match on a neutral pitch, as well as the semi-finals and the final, scheduled for May 5th. The champion will qualify for the 2025 Libertadores.

The last Superclásico was played at the Bombonera on 1 October, for the seventh round of the 2023 League Cup. Now, also for the seventh matchday, it will be played at the Monumental, most likely, on Sunday 25 February. Something that had already been established since the beginning of the 2023 season. It is assumed that the classic of the 2024 League Tournament will be played on the 15th date at the Bombonera. The two classics scheduled in the two Professional League competitions will thus be played on both fields. The same will happen with the other true classics: Racing-Independiente, San Lorenzo-Huracán, Central-Newell’s, Gimnasia-Estudiantes, Talleres-Belgrano and Lanús-Banfield.

He was curious in the last League Cup Arsenal had to play four matches in a row as guests. And many are now surprised by the series of Deportivo Riestrareplacing those of the Viaduct in the combination of the matches that will be played four games in a row at home. It will be between 3 and 6 where they will receive (it remains to be defined in which scenario because their stadium would not be enabled for the moment) Barracas Central, River, Vélez and Atlético Tucumán.

These inconsistencies were previously resolved by mathematicians from UBA Exact Sciences, hired for several years to do so, but this is now done by an automatic program.

Without stopping, the League Tournament will begin one week after the League Cup Final, meaning the first fixture will be played between Friday 10 May and Monday 13 May. But the championship will suffer a break due to the Copa América dispute between June 20 and July 14.

Then it will continue and the last day will be played on December 15th. There we will know the new champion and who the two relegated teams will be, one from the average relegation ranking and the other from the annual ranking, exactly the same as this year. The Champions Trophy will be played on December 22nd.

The first appointment (from 27 to 30 January)

Zone A

1. Barracas Central – Vélez
2. River – Argentinians
3. Institute – Deportivo Riestra
4. Atlético Tucumán-Rosario Central
5. Banfield-Hurricane
6. Workshop – Gymnastics
7. Rivadavia Independent – Independent

Zone B

1. Tiger – Sarmiento
2. Platense-Boca
3. Godoy Cruz – Defense and justice
4. Central Cordoba – Newell’s
5. San Lorenzo-Lanus
6. Students – Belgrano
7. Racing – Union

The date of the classics, the 7th (from 23 to 26 February)

1. Sarmiento-Barracas
2. Union-Independiente Rivadavia
3. Hurricane-San Lorenzo
4. Gymnastics – Students
5. Newell’s-Rosario Central
6. Independent – Racing
7. River – Boca
8. Belgrano – Laboratories
9. Argentinians – Platense
10. Velez-Tigre
11. Defense – Deportivo Riestra
12. Lanus-Banfield
13. Cordoba Central – At. Tucuman
14. Institute – Godoy Cruz