Radio Gol
·8. September 2025
Three changes for River’s squad in Copa Libertadores quarters

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·8. September 2025
The Doll will include the three youngsters in the squad for the quarter-final series of the continental tournament against Palmeiras. Mastantuono and Simón are out, while the third is yet to be defined.
The countdown indicates that there are nine days left for the decisive clash of River against Palmeiras and, although he still has time to submit it, Marcelo Gallardo has defined the three players who will enter the good faith list for the quarterfinals of the Copa Libertadores. They will be the youngsters Lautaro Rivero, Juan Cruz Meza, and Bautista Dadín.
Rivero, who had been left out of the squad for the round of 16, showed a very good level in the last matches and managed to gain the Doll's trust. Considering the ligament injury of Germán Pezzella, who is out until next year, the coach adds an alternative in the back line with the 21-year-old defender.
On the other hand, Meza, who has only played seven matches with the red band, left good impressions every time he had to add minutes. It is worth remembering that the Millonario will suffer the absence of Giuliano Galoppo for the first leg, due to his expulsion against Libertad, so the 17-year-old offensive midfielder could be a replacement option.
Finally, there is Dadín, who was shielded with a termination clause of 100 million euros. The 19-year-old forward only started in the victory against Godoy Cruz and added minutes against San Martín de San Juan, but his great performances in the Reserve (he scored 10 goals in 20 matches) made Gallardo take notice and promote him to the First team.
Now, who are out? There are two players who will no longer be on the list because they are no longer part of the institution: Franco Mastantuono, present and future of Real Madrid and Santiago Simón, currently at Toluca. But the third is yet to be defined, as it could be Federico Gattoni, who was sidelined by the coach, Pezzella or Giorgio Costantini, who suffered ligament injuries.
This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇪🇸 here.