River’s squad returns, Gallardo to field half-new team v Talleres | OneFootball

In the midst of days shaken by a sports crisis that deepens with each passing match, Marcelo Gallardo will receive a much-needed breath of fresh air this Thursday afternoon, in order to face the crucial match against Talleres in the best possible way: the players called up for the FIFA date are returning to River Camp.

After the defeat against Sarmiento with a depleted squad and, therefore, a relatively improvised team (Thiago Acosta, an attacking midfielder, played as a central midfielder), the coach will once again have the six players who were called up to their national teams: Gonzalo Montiel, Marcos Acuña, Lautaro Rivero, Kevin Castaño, Juan Fernando Quintero, and Matías Galarza.

Starting from that point and adding that Juan Portillo has already served his suspension, the outlook regarding the lineup for Saturday’s match is much more encouraging. And it’s no small thing during such a negative spiral, in which the Millonario has lost six of the last seven matches and needs to bounce back, especially considering the annual standings (currently third, in the playoff zone).

Awaiting news from the training session—which will be key for Gallardo to assess the players’ conditions—the coaching staff will begin to shape the plan against Talleres. Right off the bat, it’s very likely that nearly half of the starting lineup will be new compared to those who lost to Sarmiento at the Monumental.

If everything goes as expected, Montiel, Rivero, Portillo, Castaño, and even Quintero are set to return to the starting eleven. The big question is Marcos Acuña, who didn’t play a single minute during Argentina’s tour due to a physical issue.

El Huevo was substituted at halftime in the defeat against Rosario Central, after suffering a blow to one of his knees from a hard foul that went unpunished. Lionel Scaloni’s call-up had already been confirmed, and the left-back traveled despite not being 100% fit. That’s why he didn’t play a single minute and raised the question: will he be ready to play against Talleres?

On the other hand, River’s coaching staff can once again count on Jeremías Ledesma and Gonzalo Martínez for the visit to Talleres. The goalkeeper has overcome his lower back pain, and Pity has recovered from another muscle tear. It shouldn’t be ruled out that he could be called up after a year plagued by physical problems.

The River starting eleven projected vs. Talleres Franco Armani; Gonzalo Montiel, Lucas Martínez Quarta, Lautaro Rivero, Marcos Acuña or Milton Casco; Giuliano Galoppo, Juan Portillo, Kevin Castaño; Juan Fernando Quintero; Maxi Salas and Sebastián Driussi or Facundo Colidio.

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