One by one, River's absentees for the Apertura final | OneFootball

Even though everything is joy in River’s world after reaching the Torneo Apertura final, the string of intense matches has taken its toll. In addition to Sebastián Driussi’s injury, Aníbal Moreno, Gonzalo Montiel, and Marcos Acuña are also dealing with physical issues suffered before or during the 1-0 win over Rosario Central.

Although he was tested until the last moment with the intention of starting against Central, Acuña did not respond well to the strain in his right hamstring, made the bench, and played the final 15 minutes. Huevo had felt the discomfort midway through the first half of the quarterfinal against Gimnasia La Plata and had been replaced by Matías Viña, who started against Canalla. Against San Lorenzo, a few days earlier, he had also been unable to complete the full 120 minutes for the same reason. Even so, he would be fit to play in the final, unlike his three teammates.

Montiel, meanwhile, was the opposite case. He strained his right hamstring during the warm-up against Lobo and did not start. He arrived at the semifinal barely fit and lasted only 45 minutes, in which he missed a penalty. At halftime he was replaced by Fabricio Bustos due to a tear in his left quadriceps. He is expected to make the World Cup, but only just.

Moreno and Driussi share the same diagnosis: both suffered a right medial collateral ligament sprain that will rule them out of the final. The forward’s injury came after a foul by Franco Ibarra, while the midfielder’s happened after a play in which he moved his right leg awkwardly and felt discomfort in the back of his knee that forced him to ask to come off. He sat on the bench in obvious pain, with tears in his eyes, and the doctors immediately applied ice to the affected area. Although they will miss the title match at the Kempes, Coudet hopes both can rejoin the squad during preseason.

This run of injuries and physical issues is largely linked to the heavy schedule River has faced since the start of April, which has intensified in recent weeks. In May alone, the team played five matches in 16 days, and all of them—except for the one against Carabobo in the Copa Sudamericana—featured mostly starters. To make matters worse, against San Lorenzo in the Apertura round of 16, River had to play extra time after trailing on the scoreboard, which demanded an added physical effort.

Next Sunday, starting at 3:30 p.m., Eduardo Coudet’s side will play the Torneo Apertura final against the winner of Argentinos Juniors-Belgrano, and over the following two weeks they will close out the Copa Sudamericana group stage, where qualification is still not secured. For these decisive matches, Chacho will have a squad depleted physically, with key absences, and one that will have to dig deep to win a title and secure passage as leaders of Group H in the international competition.

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