With Kendry Páez: River's line-up to face Boca | OneFootball

It’s a tournament in itself, and both Eduardo Coudet and the entire River squad feel that way. After the messy midweek win over Carabobo, Chacho will be forced to find a replacement for the injured Fausto Vera, in what, at first glance, would be the only change from the ideal starting XI. Juan Cruz Meza is the frontrunner and would start.

The coach’s idea was to rest practically all the usual starters in the Copa Sudamericana clash, but the lack of options in midfield forced him to turn to the former Atlético Mineiro player. If everything had gone well, Aníbal Moreno was going to replace him in the second half. But not everything went according to plan.

Vera suffered a grade 2 sprain of the medial collateral ligament in his left knee and will be out for several weeks. A starter in every match he was available for (he missed one through suspension), his natural replacement would be Kevin Castaño, but Coudet decided not to call him up.

Given that, the main option that emerges is Juan Cruz Meza. At just 18 years old, the kid from Caá Catí has regained the prominence he had lost at the end of 2025, and in recent matches he has been a predictable substitution off the bench. His first start under Chacho came on Wednesday, and he ended up playing in the position he could occupy against Boca. Though risky, today it is the option gaining the most momentum in Núñez.

The rest of the team does not raise many questions. With Santiago Beltrán in goal for his first Primera División Superclásico due to Franco Armani’s absence (will he get his spot back when he is available?), the back four is the one that has played together throughout 2025, with the two world champion full-backs and Lucas Martínez Quarta and Lautaro Rivero at center-back.

Moreno is always a lock in the middle of midfield, although he usually finishes matches on the physical edge. Besides Meza or whoever replaces Fausto Vera (Giuliano Galoppo or even Fabricio Bustos are options), the other starter will be Tomás Galván, the only River player who started all 16 matches of this 2026.

In addition, Kendry Páez will keep the remaining spot ahead of Ian Subiabre. The Ecuadorian’s good performance off the bench against Carabobo made him rise in Coudet’s estimation to the point that he is now the one with the best chance of starting in the Superclásico.

Up front, everything is clearer. With a red-hot Sebastián Driussi — he has 5 goals in the 7 matches of the Coudet era — his strike partner will be the recovered Facundo Colidio, whom the coach sees as a second striker and who is coming off goals against Belgrano and Racing in the last two rounds of the Torneo Apertura.

River’s lineup vs. Boca, for the Torneo Apertura

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