Pre-season: River add Río de la Plata derby to summer plans | OneFootball

After January 10th, when the team will leave San Martín de los Andes and head to Uruguay, they will face one of that country’s top teams as part of their preparations.

It was planned, projected, and is now a reality: River’s preseason will include at least one friendly match in January, before the start of the Torneo Apertura, against Nacional of Uruguay. As part of their tune-up in the neighboring country, and so that the players arrive with some match rhythm for the debut against Barracas Central, Marcelo Gallardo requested a match of this kind to be arranged, and it has already been confirmed.

When will it be? For now, there is no exact date set, but it is certain that it will be after January 10th, the day the Millonario will leave San Martín de los Andes after a week of training and travel to Punta del Este. Once settled on Uruguayan soil, between the 11th and 18th of that month they will play against Bolso, but in Maldonado.

It’s worth remembering that the preseason, following the holidays, will be brief and intense, with two trips for the River squad before officially starting the 2026 season against Barracas Central on the weekend of January 25th.

To sum up, River will fly to Patagonia on Saturday, January 3rd and will stay at the complex in the city of Neuquén for just one week—and not two as originally planned—since the final stage will take place in Punta del Este. That is, from the 11th to the 18th, with the friendly match in the middle in the city of Maldonado.

In addition to a change of image compared to the disastrous 2025 on a sporting level, in the first (unofficial) match the Núñez club will play in the upcoming calendar, all eyes will be on the—for now—brand new signings

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