The River players Coudet rested for the final against Belgrano | OneFootball

River’s squad list for tonight’s match against Bragantino, for the fifth round of Copa Sudamericana Group H, was a clear statement of intent from Eduardo Coudet. Chacho is taking plenty of youngsters and backups in search of qualification for the round of 16, while resting his starters for next Sunday’s Torneo Apertura final against Belgrano.

Determined not to take absolutely any risks, and thanks to the cushion he built in the first four matches of the international tournament’s group stage, the River coach will field a completely alternate XI tonight at the Monumental. Of those expected to start in the tournament decider, only Lautaro Rivero was called up — he will be on the bench — along with one midfielder, whose identity is still to be decided.

In Tuesday’s training session, Coudet split the group in two. On one side, he lined up those who will face Bragantino; on the other, those he decided to protect. This made it clear that he already has nine players decided (10 if Rivero is included) for the team that will take the field at the Mario Alberto Kempes.

Santiago Beltrán, Fabricio Bustos, Lucas Martínez Quarta, Marcos Acuña, Juan Cruz Meza, Fausto Vera, Tomás Galván, Joaquín Freitas, and Facundo Colidio are the ones who, tonight, while the backups and several youngsters (Jonathan Spiff and Valentín Lucero were called up for the first time) look for a good result in the Copa Sudamericana, will be preparing for Sunday’s final.

Those nine, plus Rivero, still need one more midfielder to complete the team. And that is no coincidence. Aníbal Moreno’s absence forces Chacho to look for an alternative in midfield. Fausto Vera, a guaranteed starter, could drop back into central midfield and leave his spot to Maximiliano Meza or Giuliano Galoppo. Or he could remain as that pressing reference point in midfield and let youngster Lucas Silva play as the No. 5.

The match against Bragantino will also give some of those mentioned a chance to earn a place in the championship decider. Among the most noteworthy details from the squad list is that, at first glance, Freitas appears to have the edge over Maximiliano Salas to start, and that in the coming days they will do everything possible to make sure Huevo Acuña is fit to play.

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