Coudet will have to make two forced changes at River | OneFootball

River still hasn’t returned to action in Ezeiza, but that doesn’t apply to Eduardo Coudet. The coach knows time is ticking with a busy schedule ahead and, while the players enjoy their second—and last—day off, he is already planning the first hurdle in this stretch: Belgrano. With Sunday’s match at the Monumental in mind, the manager is preparing a starting lineup that will undergo two forced changes.

For different reasons, Chacho will be without either of his usual full-backs for Matchday 13 of the Torneo Apertura: Gonzalo Montiel and Marcos Acuña. As a result, he will have to make changes to a formation whose structure he had been keeping intact.

Montiel, who scored River’s first goal from the penalty spot in their hard-fought win over Estudiantes (RC) and became the team’s top scorer this year with four, went off injured with 15 minutes left in the match. Tests showed he has a tear in his left biceps femoris, which will keep him out for at least two weeks, which is why he was even withdrawn from the Argentina squad.

Who will replace him? Although the first signs will only begin to emerge on Tuesday when training resumes, everything points to Fabricio Bustos taking his place, having yet to play any minutes this year. Cachete will miss the clash against Belgrano at the Monumental and is fully focused on returning for River’s Copa Sudamericana debut against Blooming in Bolivia on Wednesday, April 8.

On the opposite side of the field, the situation is similar: River will also be without Marcos Acuña, their starting left-back and another player called up by Scaloni for the Argentina squad (he started against Mauritania). In this case, it won’t be due to injury but suspension: Huevo picked up his fifth yellow card and will have to serve a one-match ban against the Pirata.

His replacement will be Matías Viña, who arrived in the last transfer window to compete for a spot but has yet to show his best with the red sash. The Uruguayan also received a call-up from Marcelo Bielsa and will represent his national team during this FIFA window, so River are hoping he returns in top condition to take the field on Sunday.

What about the rest of the team? For now, Coudet is not planning any more changes to the core group he has been sticking with, although it will depend on how the week unfolds at River Camp and whether no unexpected fitness issues arise before the squad list is announced. The good news is that he will once again have Facundo Colidio available, after he served his two-match suspension, and he will have a place on the bench at the Monumental.

River’s probable lineup against Belgrano

Santiago Beltrán; Fabricio Bustos, Lucas Martínez Quarta, Lautaro Rivero, Matías Viña; Aníbal Moreno; Tomás Galván, Fausto Vera, Ian Subiabre; Joaquín Freitas and Sebastián Driussi.

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