Driussi and Armani close to medical clearance at River | OneFootball

The goalkeeper is close to being cleared to play and his starting spot on Sunday shouldn’t be ruled out, while the forward is in the final stage of recovery and is expected to have a place on the substitutes’ bench.

Amid an inconsistent football present and warning signs flashing, River received a breath of fresh air ahead of a key match against Vélez. Franco Armani and Sebastián Driussi, two important pieces for Marcelo Gallardo, have made positive progress in their respective recoveries and optimism is growing that they could reappear among the squad on Sunday.

The case generating the most anticipation is that of the goalkeeper. El Pulpo suffered a grade II tear in his right adductor on January 4, which kept him out of the preseason friendlies against Millonarios and Peñarol. Just as he seemed close to returning, inflammation in his Achilles tendon halted his progress again and forced the coach to rely on young Santiago Beltrán, who started in the first five matches of the Torneo Apertura.

After several weeks of gradual work at River Camp, those at Núñez see Armani improving steadily and it is likely he will be medically cleared in the next few hours. If that happens, Gallardo is seriously considering returning him to the starting lineup in goal.

Driussi’s situation is different, though also encouraging. The forward is in the final stage of rehabilitation from a grade I tear in his left hamstring suffered against Rosario Central on February 1. Since it was a minor injury, recovery was always estimated at around three weeks, a period that ends just in time for Sunday’s match at José Amalfitani.

Although he’s cutting it close, the attacker has progressed without setbacks and has a real chance of returning to River’s squad, initially as an option off the bench. The idea would be to reintegrate him gradually so he can return to the starting eleven in the following match—a nearly urgent need for a team that has been showing serious difficulties in scoring.

This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇪🇸 here.