River look to hit back v Carabobo and strike first in Sudamericana | OneFootball

The Millionaire plays this Wednesday at the Monumental in the second group-stage matchday, needing points to improve its position in the group.

This Wednesday, starting at 9:30 p.m., River Plate will host Carabobo at the Monumental stadium for the second matchday of Group H in the Copa Sudamericana 2026. The team coached by Eduardo Coudet will look for its first win in the competition after drawing in its debut, in a match that will be officiated by Peruvian referee Kevin Ortega.

The Millionaire is in great form: it has not lost since Chacho arrived and is coming off a solid win over Racing that secured a place in the Torneo Apertura round of 16. However, the focus is also on Sunday’s Superclásico against Boca, so the coach is expected to go with heavy rotation to rest the usual starters.

In that context, names such as Juan Fernando Quintero, Maximiliano Salas and Kevin Castaño appear as options to lead a team made up mostly of backups. Despite the changes, River needs all three points: in its opener it drew 1-1 against Blooming after playing much of the match with one man down, letting important points slip away.

On the other side, Carabobo comes in as the surprise team of the group. On the opening matchday, it pulled off an upset by beating Red Bull Bragantino 1-0 and moved into sole possession of first place in the group. It is also enjoying a strong run in the Venezuelan league, which boosts the confidence of a team looking to pull off another shock result in Núñez.

The Venezuelan side, coached by Daniel Farías, is expected to keep a solid defensive setup with a five-man back line and rely on counterattacks. Among its squad are several Argentines such as Lucas Bruera, Ezequiel Neira, and Matías Núñez, who bring experience and knowledge of South American football.

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