🔄 Gallardo rotates River squad with Palmeiras clash in mind | OneFootball

River Plate prepares for a crucial challenge: the second leg of the Copa Libertadores quarterfinals against Palmeiras in Brazil. With the goal of overturning the 1-2 loss suffered in the first leg, coach Marcelo Gallardo has made a drastic decision: he will field a completely alternative lineup for this weekend’s league match against Atlético Tucumán.

The home defeat has left River with no room for regrets. The team’s absolute priority is the comeback in Brazil, which is why the Matchday 9 fixture of the Torneo Clausura has become a “nuisance.” For this reason, “El Muñeco” Gallardo will send out a lineup full of substitutes and young club prospects.

This afternoon, in the final training session, the starting eleven traveling to Tucumán will be decided. The squad list, which will be announced in the coming hours, will not include many of the first-team key players, who will remain in Buenos Aires to prepare for the cup clash.

Opportunity for the youngsters

Although River leads Group B and needs to earn points to stay at the top, qualification for the next round of the domestic tournament seems assured, giving Gallardo the flexibility to rotate his players. The match against Palmeiras is, without a doubt, the most important of the year, and the club cannot risk losing any of its stars to injury or physical fatigue.

The clearest sign of this strategy was seen in the Reserve match, where players like Juan Cruz Meza and Bautista Dadín only played one half. Both are expected to travel to Tucumán and have the chance to start. Other young talents, such as Santiago Lencina, Agustín de la Cuesta, and even Ian Subiabre, are also likely to get minutes.

Saturday’s match at the Estadio Monumental José Fierro will be a test for these youngsters, but it is also a clear statement of intent: for River, all efforts are focused on the Copa Libertadores.

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

📸 JUAN MABROMATA - AFP or licensors