Fecha 13 Wrap-Up & Week Ahead Apr 5-7, 2026
| COMPETITION | RESULT | NOTE |
|---|---|---|
| Arg Apertura F13 (Sun) | River 3-0 Belgrano | Galvan x2, Colidio — 4th win |
| Arg Apertura F13 (Mon) | Argentinos 3-2 Banfield | 4th straight — 23 pts |
| Arg Apertura F13 (Sun) | Gimnasia LP 0-3 Huracan | Globo rising |
| Arg Apertura F13 (Sun) | Central Cba 1-3 Newell’s | Lepra away win |
| Arg Apertura F13 (Mon) | Instituto vs Def y Justicia | Halcon eyes Zona A top |
| Sudamericana (Tue) | Racing at Ind Petrolero | Continental debut |
| Libertadores MD1 (Wed) | Palmeiras at Junior | + Penarol, Flamengo |
| Sudamericana (Wed) | River at Blooming (Bol) | Coudet’s first cup test |
01
River Crush Belgrano 3-0 as Coudet’s Perfect Start Continues at the Monumental
Football
River Plate delivered their best performance since Eduardo Coudet replaced Marcelo Gallardo, crushing Belgrano 3-0 at the Monumental on Sunday evening in a display of controlled aggression that has the Superclasico crowd already dreaming. Tomas Galvan — scoring his first-ever River goals — opened the scoring on 35 minutes after a Driussi effort rattled the post, before Facundo Colidio headed home the second on 58 minutes to end a personal drought stretching back 260 days and nine months.
Galvan completed his brace on 83 minutes with a clinical diagonal finish from an Anibal Moreno pass, sending the Monumental into raptures. River dominated possession (66.4%), created 19 shot attempts to Belgrano’s 9, and barely gave the Pirata a sniff. Driussi was outstanding throughout, hitting the woodwork and creating chances across the front line. The only blemish was a late yellow card for Lautaro Rivero that will see him suspended for the Racing match.
Coudet now has a perfect record: four wins from four since taking charge, accumulating 12 out of 12 points. River climb to second in Zona B on 23 points — level with Independiente Rivadavia at the top — and face a daunting schedule: Blooming in Bolivia (Copa Sudamericana debut, Wednesday), Racing away next Sunday, and the Superclasico against Boca on April 19.
02
Argentinos Beat Banfield 3-2 in Rain-Soaked Thriller at La Paternal
Football
Monday night football at the Estadio Diego Armando Maradona produced one of the matches of the Apertura. Argentinos Juniors came from behind, went ahead, were pegged back, and then found a winner as La Nacion described it as a match worthy of the Premier League. Nicolas Oroz opened the scoring on 14 minutes with a quality strike, Emiliano Viveros doubled the lead on 20, but Banfield — fighting for their Apertura lives — hit back through David Zalazar and Mauro Mendez to level at 2-2 by the 47th minute.
Enter Alan Lescano. The forward, one of the latest products of Argentinos’ legendary academy, scored the decisive goal to seal a 3-2 victory that extends the Bicho’s winning streak to four matches. Under coach Nicolas Diez, Argentinos have climbed from mid-table obscurity to third in Zona B on 23 points — the same tally as River — and are now firmly in the playoff conversation. The victory was celebrated in a downpour that never relented, adding to the atmosphere at a ground that has produced more Argentine internationals than any other.
For Banfield, the defeat deepens their troubles. Pedro Troglio’s side sit 12th in Zona B on 13 points, well outside the playoff places, and face an uphill battle in the remaining four rounds. The Apertura’s bottom half is congested, with multiple clubs separated by just a few points and every result carrying outsized significance.
Argentine Apertura Fecha 13 Complete: Playoff Picture Sharpens With Four Rounds Left
Football
With Fecha 13 now complete (pending Instituto vs Defensa y Justicia), the Apertura standings are crystallising ahead of the decisive final four rounds. In Zona A, Velez lead on 22 points, with Boca (20), Lanus (19) and Talleres (18) in pursuit. Defensa y Justicia, if they beat Instituto on Monday night, could leap to the top of Zona A — they are the tournament’s most consistent side with a long unbeaten run. In Zona B, the picture has dramatically shifted: Independiente Rivadavia lead on 26 points, followed by River (23), Argentinos (23) and Rosario Central (21).
Huracan’s 3-0 demolition of Gimnasia in La Plata on Sunday was the weekend’s other standout result, lifting the Globo into the upper half of Zona B and suggesting Diego Dabove’s side could be a wildcard in the playoff bracket. Newell’s bounced back from their recent struggles with a 3-1 away win at Central Cordoba — an important result for the Lepra’s Zona A survival hopes. The Apertura’s final stretch begins this weekend with Fecha 14, headlined by Boca vs Independiente and Racing vs River.
The top two in each zona qualify directly for the Apertura quarter-finals, with positions 3-8 entering a playoff bracket. Based on current standings, the projected quarter-final matchups would be: Velez vs Huracan, Estudiantes vs Tigre, Boca vs Racing, and Defensa y Justicia vs Belgrano — though with four rounds remaining, significant movement is still possible. The Superclasico between River and Boca on April 19 looms as the match that could define the entire playoff picture.
04
Copa Libertadores and Sudamericana Debut This Week: The Continental Calendar Ignites
Preview
The wait is over. Copa Sudamericana group stages kick off Tuesday with Racing Club travelling to altitude in Bolivia to face Independiente Petrolero — a challenging opener for Gustavo Costas’s side just days after the clasico defeat. On Wednesday, the Copa Libertadores launches with a packed programme: Palmeiras visit Junior Barranquilla, Penarol host Atletico Mineiro in Montevideo, and Flamengo begin their continental campaign.
River Plate debut in the Copa Sudamericana on Wednesday at Blooming in Bolivia — Eduardo Coudet’s first continental test, and a fixture that will require careful squad management given the Apertura’s compressed schedule. On Thursday, Corinthians travel to Platense in Buenos Aires for their Libertadores return after three seasons away, with Dorival Junior’s job potentially hanging on the result after nine matches without a domestic win.
The dual continental/domestic calendar creates the most gruelling stretch of the South American season. Clubs face matches every three to four days through to the World Cup break in June. For Brazilian clubs, the Brasileirao Rodada 11 follows this weekend; for Argentine clubs, Fecha 14 — featuring Boca vs Independiente — arrives on Saturday. Squad depth, rotation and tactical flexibility will determine who survives this critical period.
05
Brasileirao Rodada 10 Final Standings: Palmeiras Dominant, Corinthians in Freefall
Football
With Rodada 10 complete, the Brasileirao table through the quarter-season mark paints a clear picture. Palmeiras sit imperiously atop the standings on 25 points from 10 matches — their best start in the points-per-game era. The gap to second place (Sao Paulo and Fluminense in the 18-19 point range) is already significant, and Abel Ferreira’s side show no signs of slowing down with the Copa Libertadores adding to their workload from Wednesday.
The relegation battle is where the drama intensifies. Corinthians (16th, 10 points, nine without a win) face a potential season-defining week: if Dorival Junior’s side lose at Platense in the Libertadores on Thursday and follow it with another poor Brasileirao result, a managerial change becomes almost inevitable. Santos, with Neymar, sit 17th after their 3-1 loss to Flamengo. Remo remain bottom, and Cruzeiro — despite Artur Jorge’s debut win — are in the danger zone after conceding 8 goals in two matches.
Carlos Vinicius (Gremio) leads the scoring charts with 7 goals. Andreas Pereira (Palmeiras) leads the assists table with 7 — three more than any other player. The Brasileirao’s next rodada arrives this weekend, immediately after the continental midweek programme.
06
Superclasico Watch: River vs Boca on April 19 Looms Over Everything
Preview
Sunday night at the Monumental, as River celebrated their 3-0 demolition of Belgrano, the home crowd’s chants told the real story: “Boca, Boca, Boca” — the fans are already counting down to April 19. The Superclasico — scheduled as the interzonal fixture of Fecha 15 — arrives with both clubs in strong form and with direct implications for the Apertura playoff seedings.
River, under Coudet, have won four straight and are playing their most fluent football since Gallardo’s departure. Boca, under their coaching setup, are third in Zona A on 20 points after beating Talleres in Cordoba. Both clubs also have continental commitments to manage: River’s Copa Sudamericana campaign begins Wednesday at Blooming in Bolivia, while Boca entered the Libertadores draw. The Superclasico will be the first meeting between the two since Gallardo left — adding emotional weight to an already seismic fixture.
Before that, both clubs face critical Apertura matches this weekend: Boca host Independiente at the Bombonera (Fecha 14), while Racing host River at the Cilindro (Fecha 14, Sunday). With just four rounds remaining, the Superclasico could determine who finishes in the top two — and who faces the playoff gauntlet.
07
World Cup Countdown: 65 Days Out as Squad Decisions Loom Large
Preview
The 2026 World Cup opens in 65 days in Mexico City, and the tournament’s shadow is growing longer over every domestic fixture. Managers across Brazil and Argentina must now balance competing priorities: winning league and cup matches while managing the fitness of World Cup-bound players who cannot afford injuries in the final stretch. The May 30 squad deadline is now fewer than eight weeks away.
For Brazil, Carlo Ancelotti faces his most consequential decisions: which Brasileirao performers earn late call-ups, and how to integrate European-based stars with domestic players who have been in competitive action since January. Argentina’s Lionel Scaloni has fewer selection dilemmas after the Zambia friendly confirmed his core group, but the Messi fitness question — will the 38-year-old be ready for June 16? — dominates every press conference. Colombia, Ecuador, Paraguay and Uruguay all have their own selection narratives playing out across LATAM leagues.
The next eight weeks are the most loaded in South American football: Brasileirao, Argentine Apertura, Copa Libertadores groups, Copa Sudamericana groups, Copa Argentina, and World Cup squad announcements — all running simultaneously. For followers of Latin America sports, there has never been a more compelling stretch.