Pity Martínez cleared to play for River, eyes spot against Palmeiras | OneFootball

River is preparing for the crucial weeks ahead. In this calm before the storm, Marcelo Gallardo received good news: Gonzalo Martínez has been medically cleared and could be on the bench for the match against Estudiantes, on September 13th. If his recovery goes as expected, he could also be part of the squad for the first leg of the Copa Libertadores quarterfinals against Palmeiras.

Physically, Pity has been struggling recently, and specifically, muscle problems have prevented him from maintaining continuity throughout 2025. This time, after the match against Godoy Cruz, he suffered a recurrence of an old tear in his right hamstring and has been out of play for just over two weeks. This time, his recovery was faster than previous ones, but this is his third tear of the year.

While the number does not seem significant, the fact is that Martínez has played 12 of the 39 matches that River played in 2025. Out of his 27 absences, he was on the bench and did not play in seven, but in the other 20 he was unavailable due to injury. Concerns about his physical condition raise questions about his future in Núñez, where his contract is valid until December.

Now he is back under the command of Muñeco, who, if he sees him doing well in this week's training and the remaining days, could put him on the bench in La Plata. The intention is to bring him along slowly, but also to assess him to see if he is fit to be an option next Wednesday, September 17th against Palmeiras, at the Monumental.

With Pity's return, River now only has three injured players, all with very different scenarios: Maximiliano Meza, who underwent surgery for patellar tendinitis, could return in the coming weeks; Agustín Ruberto, in the final stage of recovery after tearing the anterior cruciate ligament in his left knee, would return in the last matches of the year; and Germán Pezzella, in the early stages of rehabilitation from the same surgical procedure, aims to be available for the second half of 2026.

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