Gallardo’s picks to replace Galoppo at River: what each brings to the table | OneFootball

Just one day away from the crucial match against Palmeiras at the Monumental, for the first leg of the Copa Libertadores quarterfinals, Marcelo Gallardo will have to decide who will replace Giuliano Galoppo, who is suspended for being sent off against Libertad. Now, what are Muñeco's options?

The number one candidate is Kevin Castaño. The Colombian midfielder played the second half of last Saturday's 2-1 victory over Estudiantes, to arrive with some momentum at the first leg of the Libertadores quarterfinals. The former Krasnodar player has similar characteristics to the former Banfield player, as he can contribute to the game, but also bring some sacrifice and marking to the Millonario's midfield.

It is worth remembering that the 24-year-old player had established himself as a starter until the first leg match with Libertad in Asunción, in which Muñeco took him out at halftime. Although he lost ground in the coach's consideration, he never stopped adding minutes and now he has a new opportunity to earn a place in a high-risk match.

After Castaño, another option is Juan Portillo. The former Talleres player would bring much more recovery in the middle of the field, as he could stand as number five alongside Enzo Pérez and behind them, a line of five with Lucas Martínez Quarta, Paulo Díaz and Lautaro Rivero as defenders. However, this seems a very defensive stance for a Gallardo team, especially considering that they play at home and need to get a good result, to arrive with more tranquility at the rematch at Allianz Parque.

Now, if Muñeco wants to give a more offensive profile to the eleven that will take the field on Wednesday, he has several names to choose from. One of them is Matías Galarza, who just scored a great goal with his Paraguay team in the last FIFA date and played the second 45 minutes of the victory in La Plata. Although he is a mixed midfielder, he stands out for his commitment, his physical strength and his mid-range shot. However, he has not yet had convincing performances with the band, so he was relegated to the bench.

Another alternative is to send Muñeco's favorite to the field: Juanfer Quintero. The 32-year-old Colombian is synonymous with hierarchy and guarantees a range of possibilities in offense: game volume, dribbling, deep passes, set pieces and long shots. But his deficit is in his almost null contribution when it comes to recovering the ball, added to the fact that it is difficult for him to tolerate 90 minutes at a high level.

Finally, the name of Santiago Lencina appears. The 19-year-old from Chaco has been taken into account on several occasions by Gallardo so far this semester and responded with three goals and good performances. Aside from the usual ups and downs that any young player can have, his presence would bring River speed, sacrifice, freshness and, above all, goals to the midfield.

The truth is that the match with Verdao is just around the corner and, among the range of options he has, Gallardo will have to choose the best one to replace Galoppo. Although Castaño is leading the race to return to the starting lineup, it is known that Muñeco likes to surprise the opponent in this type of commitment, so no possibility should be ruled out.

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