The final round of the Professional League's Apertura Tournament is underway: Boca Juniors and River Plate will receive a little help on the final day, along with the eight teams battling for two playoff spots.

The regular season of the Professional Football League's Apertura Tournament is coming to an end. And (almost) every team has something to play for. This weekend marks the sixteenth and final matchday. Who has a chance of qualifying? What's at stake for the 14 teams that have qualified and the eight still fighting for a spot? And why Boca Juniors and River Plate have taken a "small advantage."

Let's start with the Bover world. The two giants of Argentine football have a slight advantage heading into the final matchday. Why? Despite their crisis and the abrupt departure of Fernando Gago , Boca Juniors is the leader of Zone A. River Plate , on the other hand, is third in Zone B and could aspire to second place, although they could also be fourth. The advantage? The team now managed by Mariano Herrón (the interim Boca Juniors) and Marcelo Gallardo plays their final matches on Sunday , which would allow them to at least speculate on which team to field for the round of 16.

If they're being suspicious, they could also play with the result that suits them and "pick their opponent." For example: River Plate is currently third and faces Independiente Rivadavia. If San Lorenzo beats Sarmiento on Saturday, it will overtake them in the table and put them in the playoff with Racing (as long as Gustavo Costas' team remains in fifth place), in principle a tougher opponent than the Mendoza Lepra.

Remember that the top seed in each group will play the eighth-place team from the other group (the second-place team will play the seventh-place team, and so on) in the round of 16. And, with the exception of the final, each round will be played on the home court of the highest-seeded team. Therefore, it's important to consider how the positions could vary.

In Zone A, seven teams have a guaranteed spot in the playoffs: Boca, Huracán, Argentinos Juniors, Tigre, Racing, Independiente Rivadavia and Barracas Central .

In Zone B, there are also seven: Rosario Central, Independiente, San Lorenzo, River, Lanús, Riestra and Platense also achieved their goal of advancing to the next round.

In both groups, there is only one spot left, which has a chance of reaching the round of 16.

As we said: four teams are vying for a spot in the next stage, just like in the other group. All of these matches will be played this Friday, May 2, at 3:30 p.m.

- Estudiantes, 8th place, 21 points (+3 goal difference). While they're in the game, Domínguez's team faces Argentinos Juniors, one of the best teams in the league. If they win, they'll wipe out all their opponents. If not, let's do the math...

-Newell's 9th, 19 points (-2) : Fabbiani the Ogre has turned La Lepra around. They're playing Racing at the Cilindro de Avellaneda, which has already qualified. They need Estudiantes to lose and win by at least the same margin as Defensa. The bottom line: If Newell's finishes eighth and Central finishes first in their group, there's a Rosario derby in the round of 16.

- Defensa y Justicia 10th, 19 points (-3) : El Halcón de Varela faces Independiente Rivadavia in Mendoza. They need all three points and hope for other results, such as a loss to Estudiantes and a better goal difference than Newell's.

-Central Córdoba 11th, 18 points (+1) : Ferroviario plays Banfield, the team at the bottom of their group. They need a win, a loss for Estudiantes, and no wins for Newell's and Defensa to see the goals scored against each other in the event of a tie.

Godoy Cruz 8th, 17 points (-7): Tomba visits Riestra: if they win, they secure qualification and leave the other three teams without a chance.

Instituto 9th, 15 points (-5): Qualification is played in the derby against Talleres as an away team. If they win and Godoy Cruz lose or draw, they advance.

-Sarmiento 10th, 14 points (-8) : They need to beat San Lorenzo in Junín, hope the top team falls and wait for Vélez's result.

Vélez 11th, 14 points (-12): El Fortín needs to thrash River and wait for combinations. The match has a bonus track : the new coach of the Liniers team, Guillermo Barros Schelotto, faces Gallardo for the first time since Boca Juniors vs. River in Madrid.

3:30 PM Argentinos vs. Estudiantes (Zone A) | ESPN Premium

Assistant Referee 1: Diego Bonfa

Assistant referee 2: Gerardo Lencina

Fourth official: Lucas Brumer

15.30 Racing – Newell's (Zone A) | TNT Sports

Referee: Leandro Rey Hilfer

Assistant Referee 1: Juan Mamani

Assistant Referee 2: Uriel García Leri

Fourth referee: Julio Barraza

15.30 Banfield – Central Córdoba (Zone A) | TNT Sports

Assistant Referee 1: Juan Manuel González

Assistant Referee 2: Lucas Pardo

Fourth referee: Javier Delbarba

3:30 PM Independiente Rivadavia vs. Defensa y Justicia (Zone A) | ESPN Premium

Assistant Referee 1: Facundo Rodríguez

Assistant Referee 2: Eduardo Lucero

Fourth referee: Guillermo González

AVAR: Gastón Monson Brizuela

6:00 PM Unión – Belgrano (Zone A) | TNT Sports

Referee: Sebastián Zunino

Assistant Referee 1: Sebastián Raineri

Assistant Referee 2: Federico García

Fourth referee: Ramiro Maglio

4:00 PM Deportivo Riestra – Godoy Cruz (Zone B) | TNT Sports

Referee: Nicolás Lamolina

Assistant Referee 1: Ernesto Callegari

Assistant Referee 2: Agustín Méndez

Fourth official: Kevin Alegre

16.00 Sarmiento – San Lorenzo (Zone B) | ESPN Premium

Referee: Sebastián Martínez

Assistant Referee 1: Juan Pablo Belatti

Assistant Referee 2: Matías Balmaceda

Fourth referee: Cristian Cernadas

16.00 Workshops – Institute (Zone B) | TNT Sports

Assistant referee 1: Gabriel Chade

Assistant Referee 2: Miguel Savorani

Fourth referee: Andrés Gariano

6:30 PM Rosario Central – Independiente (Zone B) | ESPN Premium

Referee: Yael Falcón Pérez

Assistant Referee 1: Cristian Navarro

Assistant Referee 2: Adrián Delbarba

Fourth referee: Enzo Silvestre

9:00 PM Hurricane – Barracas Central (Zone A) | TNT Sports

Assistant Referee 1: Pablo González

Assistant Referee 2: Pablo Acevedo

Fourth referee: Ariel Cruz

21.00 Atlético Tucumán – Lanús (Zone B) | ESPN Premium

Assistant Referee 1: Iván Núñez

Assistant Referee 2: Julio Fernández

Fourth referee: Francisco Acosta

3:30 PM Gimnasia – Platense (Zone B) | ESPN Premium

Referee: Hernán Mastrángelo

Assistant Referee 1: Ezequiel Brailovsky

Assistant referee 2: Mariana De Almeida

Fourth referee: Lucas Comesaña

15.30 San Martín (SJ) – Aldosivi (interzonal) | TNT Sports

Referee: Fernando Espinoza

Assistant Referee 1: Javier Uziga

Assistant Referee 2: Juan Del Fueyo

Fourth referee: Yamil Possi

18.00 Tigre – Boca (Zone A) | TNT Sports

Assistant Referee 1: Maximiliano Del Yesso

Assistant Referee 2: Walter Ferreyra

Fourth referee: Bruno Bocca

8:30 PM River Plate vs. Vélez (Zone B) | ESPN Premium

Assistant Referee 1: José Castelli

Assistant Referee 2: Damián Espinoza

Fourth referee: Álvaro Carranza