River and Belgrano chase the Apertura in a must-win final | OneFootball

The Millionaire and the Pirate will face off this Sunday at 3:30 p.m. at the Mario Alberto Kempes in Córdoba in a clash loaded with intrigue and history.

River and Belgrano will meet this Sunday starting at 3:30 p.m. at the Mario Alberto Kempes Stadium in Córdoba, in the grand final of the Apertura Tournament. The match will determine the first champion of 2026 and will be officiated by Yael Falcón Pérez, with Leandro Rey Hilfer in charge of VAR.

The Millionaire will look to lift a trophy again after two years, while the Pirate will try to win the first top-flight title in its history in Argentine football.

River reaches the decider after a semester full of changes and emotions. The team began the tournament under the management of Marcelo Gallardo, but a footballing crisis led to the end of his second spell. Eduardo Coudet then took over, managed to steady the squad, and guided it to a second-place finish in Zone B with 29 points.

In the playoffs, the Millionaire had to suffer more than expected. In the round of 16, it came very close to being eliminated by San Lorenzo, but a last-gasp goal by Juan Fernando Quintero forced a penalty shootout, where Santiago Beltrán was the standout player. River then beat Gimnasia in the quarterfinals and Rosario Central in the semifinals to reach another final.

The big problem for Coudet will be the squad’s physical condition. Gonzalo Montiel, Sebastián Driussi, and Matías Viña have been ruled out through injury, while Aníbal Moreno is also struggling and seems unlikely to start. Given this scenario, the coach would turn to youngsters Joaquín Freitas and Lucas Silva.

Belgrano, meanwhile, finished fifth in Zone B with 26 points, the result of seven wins, five draws, and four losses. Although it ended the regular phase with some doubts, Ricardo Zielinski’s team came to life in the knockout rounds.

The Pirate knocked out Talleres in a heated derby in the round of 16, then beat Unión in the quarterfinals and reached the final after defeating Argentinos Juniors on penalties, after equalizing in the dying moments and trailing throughout the entire shootout.

It will also be a historic occasion for Belgrano. Under Zielinski, the same coach who achieved the memorable promotion against River in 2011, the Córdoba club will seek its first title in the top division.

The Pirate comes in more rested than River, since it had no midweek action. However, the wear and tear of the 120 minutes against Argentinos left its mark, and the big question surrounds Lisandro López, who suffered a severe muscle strain and wants to be in the final, although he would not arrive at full fitness.

Both teams have already faced each other in this tournament. It was on April 5, on matchday 13 of the regular phase, when River thrashed Belgrano 3-0 at the Monumental, with a brace from Tomás Galván and a goal by Facundo Colidio.

Possible River lineup

Santiago Beltrán; Fabricio Bustos, Lucas Martínez Quarta, Lautaro Rivero, Marcos Acuña; Lucas Silva, Fausto Vera, Juan Cruz Meza, Tomás Galván; Facundo Colidio and Joaquín Freitas. Coach: Eduardo Coudet.

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