Godoy Cruz have entered the decisive Primera Nacional week with a mixture of excitement and caution. On Sunday 15 November at 5pm, they face Tristán Suárez at Belgrano’s Julio César Villagra stadium in Córdoba. The single match determines the champion and the first promotion place to the 2027 Liga Profesional, an objective Pablo De Muner considers close but still entirely unfinished.
The coach summarised his position with a warning: the team have achieved nothing yet. Reaching the final was celebrated because of the way it was built and because it represents an important step, but the decisive match separates recognition from accomplishment. That distinction aims to protect the squad from premature euphoria while channelling the enthusiasm that grew among supporters during the second half of the season.
The numbers explain the transformation. Godoy Cruz collected 25 points in the first half of the year and 41 in the second, a difference De Muner described as enormous. Tomba finished top of their group on 66 points, level with Ferro but favoured by a far superior goal difference. The recovery was not a single streak; it resulted from greater consistency, home strength and an identity with which supporters reconnected.
Tristán Suárez arrive with their own history and prevent any automatic reading of favouritism. De Muner knows their coach Pancho Martínez and emphasised how difficult it is to sustain the level achieved by the Ezeiza club across two consecutive seasons. Godoy Cruz are studying their opponents, yet preparation centres on controllable factors: occupation of space, emotional response and clarity in executing the plan at a neutral venue.
The final carries specific regulatory elements. Nicolás Ramírez will referee, VAR will operate, teams may name up to 23 players on the bench and extra time will follow if the match is level after 90 minutes. Those conditions expand the available decisions and require scenarios to be prepared: substitutions to preserve intensity, specialists for a possible extra period and a bench capable of changing the contest without damaging structure.
The original postponement extended the wait, but De Muner believes the preparation period has allowed his side to arrive in better condition. The challenge is using time without overloading the group with information or turning every session into an early final. The squad’s commitment to work is one of the coach’s principal guarantees. Support from the fans adds energy, although the match will be decided by the capacity to remain calm as tension rises.
Godoy Cruz are one game from returning to the top division, but the statement gains value only if the process is completed. The rise from 25 to 41 points shows development; first place confirms consistency; the final demands another quality—efficiency under irreversible pressure. De Muner is not attempting to reduce excitement but to organise it. Córdoba will reveal whether Tomba’s transformation becomes direct promotion.
