River Plate rest stars, lose before Palmeiras showdown | OneFootball

The River Plate was defeated 2-0 by Atlético Tucumán this Saturday (20), away from home, in the Clausura Tournament of the Argentine Championship, and now faces pressure for the return match of the CONMEBOL Libertadores quarter-finals next Wednesday against Palmeiras in São Paulo.

Starters Resting

In the match against Tucumán, River rested all its starters and faced difficulties from the start. Goalkeeper Jeremías Ledesma made good saves but couldn't prevent Clever Ferreira from scoring, who opened the scoring at 12 minutes with a header after a corner. The home team extended the lead in the second half with a penalty converted by Leandro Díaz, sealing the 2-0.

Despite the defeat, River remains among the top positions in its zone in the Clausura, with 18 points, but the result raises an alert for the decisive match against Palmeiras.

River Plate: Obligation to Win

In the first leg of the quarter-finals, held in Buenos Aires, Palmeiras won 2-1, taking the advantage into the return match. River will need to win by two goals to advance directly to the semi-finals, or by one goal to take the decision to penalties.

The Argentine team will have little time for adjustments and recovery before the duel at Allianz Parque, where Palmeiras is usually strong as the home team. The expectation is for an intense game, with River looking to overturn the score and Palmeiras trying to secure the qualification.

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