The Club Atlético Patronato de la Juventud Católica (commonly called Patronato or Patronato de Paraná, lit. 'Patronage of Parana') is an Argentine football club based in Paraná, Entre Ríos. The squad will compete in the second-tier Primera Nacional, following their relegation from the Argentine Primera División in 2022.
History
The club debuted in Primera División in 1978, playing the Nacional championship. In December 2015, Patronato achieved its second promotion to Primera after defeating Santamarina de Tandil by penalty shoot-out. Patronato was relegated to the Primera Nacional in 2022, despite winning the 2021-22 Copa Argentina and qualifying for the Copa Libertadores group stage that same year.
On April 5, 2023, Patronato made their debut in the Copa Libertadores, losing by a scoreline of 2-1 against Atlético Nacional. A little less than a month later, on May 4, 2023, Patronato won their first ever Libertadores match, winning comfortably at home against Melgar 4-1. They ended their Libertadores campaign with 2 wins and 4 losses, but finished 3rd in their group, qualifying for the Copa Sudamericana play-off round, where they lost to Botafogo by 3-1 on aggregate.
Rivalries
The clubs with which it has a classic sporting rivalry are the Club Atlético Paraná, from the same city, with which they make up the "Paraná derby" and the Club Gimnasia y Esgrima from the city of Concepción del Uruguay, with which they make up the "Entre Ríos derby".
Players
Current squad
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