Eduardo Coudet left Subiabre and Kendry Páez out of River squad | OneFootball

For purely football-related reasons and with no physical issues involved, the coach decided not to call up either of the two midfielders. In addition, Franco Armani returns.

After knocking out San Lorenzo in epic fashion, River now shifts gears and gets ready for the quarterfinal clash that will see them face Gimnasia at the Monumental Stadium. For this match, Eduardo Coudet submitted his squad list and surprised many by leaving out Kendry Páez and Ian Subiabre for purely football-related reasons, with neither player dealing with any physical discomfort.

Páez and Subiabre’s absence caused surprise because both players had been getting minutes under the coach. While neither had a guaranteed starting spot, they had been rotating into the lineups and making several appearances throughout the year. The case of the Comodoro Rivadavia native is even more striking, as he had played in twelve of the thirteen matches managed by the coach, starting in nine of them. The Ecuadorian, meanwhile, featured in nine, starting three times.

Despite the surprise it caused, this is not the first time Coudet has made this kind of decision. To replace them, he once again called up Santiago Lencina, who already had the chance to be in the squad against Carabobo in Venezuela, and Lautaro Pereyra, who made his First Division debut during Chacho’s spell in charge. In addition, Juan Cruz Meza is part of the squad list. None of the three had been called up for the round of 16 against San Lorenzo.

The most recent player to be “left out” had been Kevin Castaño, who since the Superclásico had only been called up for the match against Carabobo in Venezuela, before once again being left off the list for the clash with El Ciclón.

Coudet’s squad list for the quarterfinal against Gimnasia.

On the other hand, Armani was called up again and replaced Ezequiel Centurión. After several weeks of field work, the “Pulpo” has put behind him the poorly healed muscle tear, Achilles tendonitis, and the subsequent fibrosis that kept him out for almost the entire campaign. Even so, Santiago Beltrán will keep his place between the posts.

In defense, the only change is the absence of Facundo González, who will be rested, without being replaced by another center back.

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