Nazareno Arasa will be the central referee for the classic between San Lorenzo de Almagro and Boca Juniors this Sunday, an appointment that comes just two matchdays after the official was suspended by the National Directorate of Refereeing. The match, corresponding to the tenth round of the Clausura tournament, will be played at the Nuevo Gasómetro from 14:45 and broadcast on TNT Sports.
The designation of Arasa sparks debate due to his recent suspension. Federico Beligoy, head of national refereeing, sidelined him for an error on the seventh matchday, when he incorrectly disallowed a goal for Vélez Sarsfield against Deportivo Riestra. After serving his ban, Arasa returned to officiate on the ninth date, in Talleres de Córdoba's victory over Unión de Santa Fe.
For the clash against Boca, the VAR will be handled by Hernán Mastrángelo, who was also at the centre of controversy last Monday. Mastrángelo did not call referee Leandro Rey Hilfer to review a penalty incident and possible expulsion of the visiting attacker Benegas on defender Carlos Izquierdoz in the Lanús area.
San Lorenzo de Almagro arrives at this derby placed tenth in the Liga Profesional Argentina, with 11 points after nine games. Their recent form is mixed, with two wins, two draws and one loss in their last five outings. The team comes from a 1-1 away draw against Independiente, with a goal from Facundo Farías assisted by Danilo Arboleda. The squad has accumulated 492 goal minutes, a statistic that reflects their offensive struggles.
The match against Boca Juniors represents a major challenge, as the Xeneize occupies fifth place in the table. The last meeting between the two, in March, ended in a 1-1 draw. After this clash, San Lorenzo will visit Lanús in round 11. For this Sunday, the assistant referees will be Juan Pablo Belatti and Miguel Savorani, while Pablo Giménez will act as fourth official. Diego Verlota will complete the video assistant referee team as AVAR alongside Mastrángelo.
The other appointments for the round include Pablo Echavarría for Central Córdoba-Defensa y Justicia, Facundo Tello for River Plate-Huracán, Darío Herrera for Instituto-Talleres and Andrés Gariano for Gimnasia de Mendoza-Deportivo Riestra. The performance of the San Lorenzo squad and their league position can be followed in detail in our standings section.
With the season underway, every point is vital. San Lorenzo de Almagro aims to take all three at home to close the eight-point gap separating them from the leader, Instituto de Córdoba. The squad, which has R. Auzmendi as its top scorer with six goals, must overcome the pressure of a derby and the shadow of refereeing controversy. Updated information on the squad is available in the squad section.
