Driussi and Armani close to medical clearance at River | OneFootball

The goalkeeper is close to being cleared to play and his starting position on Sunday should not be ruled out, while the forward is in the final stages of recovery and is expected to have a spot on the bench.

Amid an irregular football performance and warning signs, River received a breath of fresh air ahead of a crucial match against Vélez. Franco Armani and Sebastián Driussi, two important players for Marcelo Gallardo, have made positive progress in their respective recoveries, and there is growing optimism that they can reappear among the squad on Sunday.

The case generating the most anticipation is that of the goalkeeper. The Octopus 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, forcing the coach to rely on the young Santiago Beltrán, who started in the first five matches of the Torneo Apertura.

After several weeks of progressive training at the River Camp, in Núñez, they see Armani improving steadily, and it is likely that he will be medically cleared in the coming hours. If that happens, Gallardo is seriously considering reinstating him as the starting goalkeeper.

The outlook for Driussi is different, yet 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, a recovery time of about three weeks was initially estimated, which coincides with the match on Sunday at José Amalfitani.

Although he is cutting it close in terms of timing, the attacker has progressed without setbacks and has a real chance of being included in River's squad, initially as an option from the bench. The idea would be to gradually reintegrate him so he can return to the starting eleven in the following match, an almost imperative 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.