Domínguez, Gallardo’s bogeyman: what’s at stake vs Estudiantes | OneFootball

The Millionaire will visit UNO to face the Pincha led by Eduardo Domínguez, a coach who has a positive record against the Doll.

Just a few days before the first leg against Palmeiras in the quarterfinals of the Copa Libertadores, River is preparing for its next challenge in the Torneo Clausura. This Saturday, at 7 PM, they will visit Estudiantes at UNO for the eighth matchday. Beyond the importance of this match to gain confidence for the cup clash, the game will have a special ingredient: Marcelo Gallardo will face Eduardo Domínguez, one of the few coaches who boast a positive record in their encounters against him.

The precise data shows that the Pincha's coach, in the eleven times he faced the Doll, achieved four wins, four draws, and three losses. The first of those victories was special because, under the command of Huracán, Carlos Bianchi's son-in-law eliminated the River team from the 2015 Copa Sudamericana with an aggregate score of 2-1, resulting from a 1-1 draw in Parque Patricios and a 1-0 win at the Monumental.

Later, as the coach of Colón, Domínguez managed to upset him again both in Santa Fe and at the Monumental. In 2018, he defeated him by the minimum with a goal from Gonzalo Bueno, while in 2021 he won 2-1 with a goal from Rodrigo Aliendro, who a year later would cross to the red band.

Gallardo had to wait until their seventh encounter to take all three points. Precisely in 2021, with goals from Lucas Beltrán, Fabrizio Angileri, and Gonzalo Montiel, the Millionaire won 3-2 against Colón. Later, at the end of that year in the Trofeo de Campeones, a double from Julián Álvarez, one from Jorge Carrascal, and another from Benjamín Rollheiser resulted in a 4-0 that somewhat evened the record.

After the Doll went to Al-Ittihad in Saudi Arabia and returned in August last year, and with Domínguez installed at Estudiantes since early 2023, both coaches met again at the end of 2024. On that occasion, River won 2-1 at UNO, a match remembered for the memorable performance of Franco Armani, who saved a penalty from Guido Carrillo.

Already in 2025, the record tilted again in favor of the Pincha's coach. In fact, Estudiantes is the only Argentine team that managed to defeat River in 90 minutes so far this year. In early March, Domínguez's team defeated the Millionaire 2-0 at the Monumental, with goals from Alexis Castro and Santiago Ascacíbar.

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