River’s possible line-up against San Lorenzo in the Apertura | OneFootball

After the huge win in Venezuela, Chacho will field his ideal XI to host San Lorenzo in the Apertura Tournament quarterfinals. The doubt is over the possible inclusion of Maxi Meza, who played two straight matches after five months out of action.

The dramatic and hard-fought win over Carabobo in Venezuela left River with plenty of positives. For the second time (the previous one had also been against this same opponent), Eduardo Coudet went with heavy rotation and still came away with all three points. With the excitement of that brilliant Maxi Salas goal now behind them, the squad is already back in Buenos Aires and, ahead of the match against San Lorenzo, the coach is preparing a team with the usual starters and two highly anticipated returns: Fausto Vera and Sebastián Driussi. There could also be one change.

Chacho stressed in successive press conferences that the absence of the former Argentinos player and the team’s starting No. 9 had had a major impact on the way the team functioned. In fact, after both went out, the level dropped noticeably and the team suffered the only two defeats of his tenure: against Boca and Atlético Tucumán, both at the Monumental.

That is why the return of both players is great news for the coach: for the first time since the first meeting with Carabobo (April 15), he will once again be able to field his ideal XI. Vera, after recovering from a sprain of the medial collateral ligament in his left knee, will once again partner Aníbal Moreno in midfield; and Driussi, who has overcome another muscle tear, will return as the team’s center forward.

But the big news is the possibility that Maximiliano Meza could come into the starting lineup. After suffering an avulsion of the patellar tendon in his left knee on November 9, 2025, against Boca, the midfielder returned to action last Sunday against Atlético Tucumán, going straight into the starting XI, and last night he had a good game — including a goal — in the win over Carabobo. If he is physically fit, he could earn a place in the team to host San Lorenzo in the round of 16.

With those three developments, all positive for a squad that had lost several pieces in recent weeks, Coudet was able to make sure almost everyone was well-rested as River look to advance in the Apertura Tournament, while also moving to the brink of getting through the Copa Sudamericana group stage.

In conclusion, the XI Chacho could put out would be: Santiago Beltrán; Gonzalo Montiel, Lucas Martínez Quarta, Lautaro Rivero, Marcos Acuña; Aníbal Moreno, Fausto Vera, Tomás Galván, Maxi Meza or Ian Subiabre; Facundo Colidio and Sebastián Driussi.

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