# 2007–08 Argentine Primera División

The Apertura 2007 saw much success for the smaller teams in Argentine football. The eventual champions Lanús won the title for the first time in their history, the first maiden champions since Argentinos Juniors in 1984.
Second place went to Tigre, a club playing their first season in the Argentine Primera since 1980 and making their best finish ever in the top flight.
Third place went to Banfield, completing an extremely unlikely top three.
Another small club, Arsenal won the 2007 Copa Sudamericana, the first major title in their history, making them the first Argentine club other than Boca Juniors to win an international competition since San Lorenzo won the Copa Sudamericana 2002.
Another feature of the Apertura was the number of managerial changes, by the end of the Apertura there had been 12 managerial changes.
The Clausura 2008 was won by River Plate, their first title since 2004.
For the first time the 380 games of the season were broadcast live on television.

## Torneo Apertura
### Standings

| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification |
| 1 | Lanús | 19 | 11 | 5 | 3 | 34 | 21 | +13 | 38 | 2009 Copa Libertadores Second Stage |
| 2 | Tigre | 19 | 10 | 4 | 5 | 28 | 20 | +8 | 34 | |
| 3 | Banfield | 19 | 10 | 2 | 7 | 22 | 21 | +1 | 32 | |
| 4 | Boca Juniors | 19 | 9 | 4 | 6 | 32 | 18 | +14 | 31 | |
| 5 | Argentinos Juniors | 19 | 9 | 4 | 6 | 29 | 20 | +9 | 31 | |
| 6 | Estudiantes (LP) | 19 | 8 | 6 | 5 | 27 | 19 | +8 | 30 | |
| 7 | Huracán | 19 | 8 | 6 | 5 | 24 | 21 | +3 | 30 | |
| 8 | San Lorenzo | 19 | 8 | 5 | 6 | 29 | 27 | +2 | 29 | |
| 9 | Independiente | 19 | 8 | 4 | 7 | 33 | 23 | +10 | 28 | |
| 10 | Vélez Sarsfield | 19 | 8 | 3 | 8 | 25 | 25 | 0 | 27 | |
| 11 | Newell's Old Boys | 19 | 8 | 3 | 8 | 16 | 22 | −6 | 27 | |
| 12 | Arsenal | 19 | 7 | 5 | 7 | 19 | 24 | −5 | 26 | |
| 13 | Racing | 19 | 7 | 4 | 8 | 23 | 24 | −1 | 25 | |
| 14 | River Plate | 19 | 6 | 5 | 8 | 31 | 33 | −2 | 23 | |
| 15 | Colón | 19 | 6 | 4 | 9 | 19 | 22 | −3 | 22 | |
| 16 | Olimpo | 19 | 6 | 4 | 9 | 18 | 24 | −6 | 22 | |
| 17 | Gimnasia y Esgrima (J) | 19 | 5 | 5 | 9 | 22 | 31 | −9 | 20 | |
| 18 | Gimnasia y Esgrima (LP) | 19 | 5 | 4 | 10 | 15 | 27 | −12 | 19 | |
| 19 | San Martín (SJ) | 19 | 5 | 3 | 11 | 18 | 29 | −11 | 18 | |
| 20 | Rosario Central | 19 | 2 | 8 | 9 | 21 | 33 | −12 | 14 | |

### Top scorers

| Position | Player | Team | Goals |
| 1 | Germán Denis | Independiente | 18 |
| 2 | José Sand | Lanús | 15 |
| 3 | Martín Palermo | Boca Juniors | 13 |
| 4 | Leandro Lázzaro | Tigre | 10 |
| 5 | Néstor Silvera | San Lorenzo | 9 |
| 5 | José Vizcarra | Rosario Central | 9 |
| 7 | Facundo Sava | Racing | 8 |
| 8 | Fernando Belluschi | River Plate | 7 |
| 8 | Néstor Ayala | Tigre | 7 |
| 8 | Álvaro Pereira | Argentinos Juniors | 7 |
| 8 | Luis Tonelotto | San Martín (SJ) | 7 |

## Torneo Clausura

Table positions as of June 22, 2008.

### Standings

| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification |
| 1 | River Plate | 19 | 13 | 4 | 2 | 29 | 13 | +16 | 43 | 2009 Copa Libertadores Second Stage |
| 2 | Boca Juniors | 19 | 11 | 6 | 2 | 33 | 15 | +18 | 39 | |
| 3 | Estudiantes (LP) | 19 | 11 | 6 | 2 | 30 | 21 | +9 | 39 | |
| 4 | San Lorenzo | 19 | 11 | 2 | 6 | 30 | 21 | +9 | 35 | |
| 5 | Vélez Sarsfield | 19 | 9 | 5 | 5 | 24 | 17 | +7 | 32 | |
| 6 | Independiente | 19 | 8 | 7 | 4 | 25 | 15 | +10 | 31 | |
| 7 | Argentinos Juniors | 19 | 9 | 3 | 7 | 23 | 24 | −1 | 30 | |
| 8 | Newell's Old Boys | 19 | 8 | 5 | 6 | 21 | 19 | +2 | 29 | |
| 9 | Rosario Central | 19 | 7 | 6 | 6 | 26 | 23 | +3 | 27 | |
| 10 | Arsenal | 19 | 7 | 4 | 8 | 22 | 25 | −3 | 25 | |
| 11 | Colón | 19 | 6 | 5 | 8 | 25 | 27 | −2 | 23 | |
| 12 | Banfield | 19 | 6 | 4 | 9 | 36 | 36 | 0 | 22 | |
| 13 | Huracán | 19 | 5 | 7 | 7 | 15 | 17 | −2 | 22 | |
| 14 | Tigre | 19 | 6 | 4 | 9 | 24 | 37 | −13 | 22 | |
| 15 | Olimpo | 19 | 6 | 2 | 11 | 21 | 32 | −11 | 20 | |
| 16 | Lanús | 19 | 5 | 3 | 11 | 26 | 39 | −13 | 18 | |
| 17 | Gimnasia y Esgrima (LP) | 19 | 4 | 5 | 10 | 19 | 26 | −7 | 17 | |
| 18 | San Martín (SJ) | 19 | 5 | 2 | 12 | 20 | 30 | −10 | 17 | |
| 19 | Gimnasia y Esgrima (J) | 19 | 2 | 9 | 8 | 20 | 28 | −8 | 15 | |
| 20 | Racing | 19 | 2 | 9 | 8 | 14 | 22 | −8 | 15 | |

### Top scorers

Positions as of June 25, 2008
| Position | Player | Team | Goals |
| 1 | Darío Cvitanich | Banfield | 13 |
| 2 | Martín Palermo | Boca Juniors | 10 |
| 3 | Martín Bravo | San Martín (San Juan) | 9 |
| 3 | Germán Denis | Independiente | 9 |
| 3 | Santiago Salcedo | Newell's Old Boys | 9 |
| 3 | Diego Buonanotte | River Plate | 9 |
| 7 | Rubén Ramírez | Colón | 8 |
| 7 | Luciano Leguizamón | Arsenal | 8 |
| 7 | César Carranza | Gimnasia (Jujuy) | 8 |
| 9 | Daniel Montenegro | Independiente | 7 |
| 9 | Santiago Silva | Vélez Sársfield | 7 |
| 9 | Gonzalo Bergessio | San Lorenzo | 7 |
| 9 | José Sand | Lanús | 7 |

## Relegation

| Pos | Team | 2005–06 Pts | 2006–07 Pts | 2007–08 Pts | Total Pts | Total Pld | Avg | Relegation |
| 1 | Boca Juniors | 83 | 83 | 70 | 236 | 114 | 2.07 |
| 2 | Estudiantes (LP) | 52 | 81 | 69 | 202 | 114 | 1.772 |
| 3 | River Plate | 62 | 71 | 66 | 199 | 114 | 1.746 |
| 4 | San Lorenzo | 56 | 73 | 64 | 193 | 114 | 1.693 |
| 5 | Vélez Sarsfield | 58 | 56 | 59 | 173 | 114 | 1.518 |
| 6 | Lanús | 58 | 59 | 56 | 173 | 114 | 1.518 |
| 7 | Independiente | 55 | 57 | 59 | 171 | 114 | 1.5 |
| 8 | Tigre | 0 | 0 | 56 | 56 | 38 | 1.474 |
| 9 | Argentinos Juniors | 50 | 46 | 61 | 157 | 114 | 1.377 |
| 10 | Arsenal | 44 | 62 | 51 | 157 | 114 | 1.377 |
| 11 | Huracán | 0 | 0 | 52 | 52 | 38 | 1.368 |
| 12 | Banfield | 59 | 39 | 54 | 152 | 114 | 1.333 |
| 13 | Gimnasia y Esgrima (LP) | 69 | 40 | 36 | 145 | 114 | 1.272 |
| 14 | Newell's Old Boys | 51 | 38 | 53 | 142 | 114 | 1.246 |
| 15 | Rosario Central | 45 | 52 | 41 | 138 | 114 | 1.211 |
| 16 | Colón | 46 | 46 | 45 | 137 | 114 | 1.202 |
| 17 | Racing | 44 | 49 | 40 | 133 | 114 | 1.167 | Relegation Playoff Matches |
| 18 | Gimnasia y Esgrima (J) | 51 | 43 | 35 | 129 | 114 | 1.132 | Relegation Playoff Matches |
| 19 | Olimpo | 0 | 0 | 42 | 42 | 38 | 1.105 | Relegated to the Primera B Nacional |
| 20 | San Martín (SJ) | 0 | 0 | 35 | 35 | 38 | 0.921 | Relegated to the Primera B Nacional |
Updated as of June 22, 2008; Source:AFA

### Promotion playoff

Teams and schedules will be decided based on average after the end of the Closing tournament. The first and second legs of the final are scheduled to be played on June 25 and June 29, respectively.
| Date Time | Venue | Home Team | Score | Away Team | Referee | Match Report(s) |
| 2008-06-25 17:00 ET | Estadio 15 de Abril, Santa Fe | Unión Serrizuela 44' | 1-1 | Gimnasia (Jujuy) Carranza 34' | Alejandro Sabino | Report Archived 2008-07-01 at the Wayback Machine (in Spanish) |
| 2008-06-29 17:10 ET | Estadio 23 de Agosto, San Salvador de Jujuy | Gimnasia (Jujuy) Arraya 68' | 1-0 | Unión | Diego Abal | Report Archived 2008-07-02 at the Wayback Machine (in Spanish) |
Gimnasia (Jujuy) wins 2-1 and stays in the Argentine First Division, while Unión de Santa Fe does not get promoted and remains in Argentine Nacional B.
| Date Time | Venue | Home Team | Score | Away Team | Referee | Match Report(s) |
| 2008-06-25 20:10 ET | Estadio Córdoba, Córdoba | Belgrano Gigli 76' | 1-1 | Racing Sava 14' | Gustavo Bassi | Report Archived 2008-07-01 at the Wayback Machine (in Spanish) |
| 2008-06-29 14:10 ET | Presidente Perón, Avellaneda | Racing Moralez 10' | 1-0 | Belgrano | Sergio Pezzotta | Report Archived 2008-07-02 at the Wayback Machine (in Spanish) |
Racing wins 2-1 and stays in the Argentine First Division, while Belgrano does not get promoted and remains in Argentine Nacional B.

## International qualification
### Copa Sudamericana

Qualification for the 2008 Copa Sudamericana is determined from an aggregate table of the Apertura and Clausura tournaments. The top four teams in the aggregate table qualify; Boca Juniors and River Plate are invited regardless of their standings in the season, this season Arsenal was also invited as defending champions.

#### Aggregate table

| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification |
| 1 | Boca Juniors | 38 | 20 | 10 | 8 | 65 | 33 | +32 | 70 | 2008 Copa Sudamericana Round of 16 |
| 2 | Estudiantes (LP) | 38 | 19 | 12 | 7 | 56 | 35 | +21 | 69 | 2008 Copa Sudamericana First Stage |
| 3 | River Plate | 38 | 19 | 9 | 10 | 60 | 46 | +14 | 66 | 2008 Copa Sudamericana Round of 16 |
| 4 | San Lorenzo | 38 | 19 | 7 | 12 | 59 | 48 | +11 | 64 | 2008 Copa Sudamericana First Stage |
| 5 | Argentinos Juniors | 38 | 18 | 7 | 13 | 52 | 44 | +8 | 61 | 2008 Copa Sudamericana First Stage |
| 6 | Independiente | 38 | 16 | 11 | 11 | 58 | 38 | +20 | 59 | 2008 Copa Sudamericana First Stage |
| 7 | Vélez Sarsfield | 38 | 17 | 8 | 13 | 49 | 42 | +7 | 59 | |
| 8 | Lanús | 38 | 16 | 8 | 14 | 60 | 60 | 0 | 56 | |
| 9 | Newell's Old Boys | 38 | 16 | 8 | 14 | 37 | 41 | −4 | 56 | |
| 10 | Tigre | 38 | 16 | 8 | 14 | 52 | 57 | −5 | 56 | |
| 11 | Banfield | 38 | 16 | 6 | 16 | 58 | 57 | +1 | 54 | |
| 12 | Huracán | 38 | 13 | 13 | 12 | 39 | 39 | 0 | 52 | |
| 13 | Arsenal | 38 | 14 | 9 | 15 | 41 | 49 | −8 | 51 | 2008 Copa Sudamericana First Stage |
| 14 | Colón | 38 | 12 | 9 | 17 | 44 | 49 | −5 | 45 | |
| 15 | Olimpo | 38 | 12 | 6 | 20 | 39 | 56 | −17 | 42 | |
| 16 | Rosario Central | 38 | 9 | 14 | 15 | 47 | 56 | −9 | 41 | |
| 17 | Racing | 38 | 9 | 13 | 16 | 37 | 46 | −9 | 40 | |
| 18 | Gimnasia y Esgrima (LP) | 38 | 9 | 9 | 20 | 34 | 53 | −19 | 36 | |
| 19 | Gimnasia y Esgrima (J) | 38 | 7 | 14 | 17 | 42 | 59 | −17 | 35 | |
| 20 | San Martín (SJ) | 38 | 10 | 5 | 23 | 38 | 59 | −21 | 35 | |

## Managerial Changes

This is a list of the managerial changes in the Argentine Primera during the 2007-2008 season.
| Club | Manager out | Replaced by |
| Gimnasia (La Plata) | Francisco Maturana | 1st Julio Falcioni 2nd Guillermo Sanguinetti |
| Argentinos Juniors | Ricardo Caruso Lombardi | Néstor Gorosito |
| Huracán | Antonio Mohamed | 1st Osvaldo Ardiles 2nd Claudio Ubeda |
| Newell's Old Boys | Pablo Marini | 1st Ricardo Caruso Lombardi 2nd Fernando Gamboa |
| Olimpo | Guillermo Rivarola | 1st Roberto Saporiti 2nd Daniel Florit |
| Rosario Central | Carlos Ischia | Leonardo Madelón |
| Gimnasia (Jujuy) | Mario Gómez | 1st Carlos Ramaciotti 2nd Omar Labruna |
| Vélez Sársfield | Ricardo La Volpe | Hugo Tocalli |
| River Plate | Daniel Passarella | Diego Simeone |
| Racing | Gustavo Costas | 1st Miguel Ángel Micó 2nd Juan Manuel Llop |
| Estudiantes | Diego Simeone | Roberto Sensini |
| Boca Juniors | Miguel Ángel Russo | Carlos Ischia |
| Colón | Leonardo Astrada | Antonio Mohamed |
| Independiente | Pedro Troglio | 1st Miguel Ángel Santoro 2nd Claudio Borghi |
| Banfield | Juan Manuel Llop | 1st Miguel Jerez 2nd Jorge Burruchaga |
| San Lorenzo | Ramón Díaz | Miguel Ángel Russo |
| Arsenal | Gustavo Alfaro | Daniel Garnero |
| Lanús | Ramón Cabrero | Luis Zubeldía |

## Transfers

See List of Argentine Primera División transfers (2007–08 season).