One by one: River’s missing players for the Apertura final | OneFootball

Although everything is joy in the River camp 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 before or during the 1-0 win over Rosario Central.

Although he was tested until the last minute 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 Huevo had felt the discomfort midway through the first half of the quarterfinal against Gimnasia de La Plata and had been replaced by Matías Viña, who started against Canalla.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 make it in time for 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 clash barely fit and lasted only 45 minutes, during 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 sprain of the medial collateral ligament in the right knee 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 made an awkward movement with his right leg, felt discomfort in the back of his knee, and was forced to ask to come off. He sat on the bench showing clear signs of 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 during preseason.

This succession of injuries and physical problems is largely linked to the run of matches River has been facing since the start of April, which has intensified in recent weeks. In May alone, they played five matches in 16 days and, with the exception of the one against Carabobo in the Copa Sudamericana, all of them featured mostly starters. To make matters worse, against San Lorenzo in the Apertura round of 16 they had to play extra time after coming from behind, which demanded even more 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 wrap up 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 will have to dig deep to win a title and qualify 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.