One by one: River's missing men 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, was included on 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 Huevo had felt the discomfort midway through the first half of the quarterfinal against Gimnasia de La Plata and had been replaced by Matías Viña, who started against Canalla.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. In any case, unlike his three teammates, he would be fit to play in the final.

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 barely fit and only lasted 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 it to the World Cup just in time.

Moreno and Driussi share the same diagnosis: they suffered a sprain of the right medial collateral ligament 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 moved his right leg badly, felt discomfort in the back of his knee, and had to ask to come off. He sat on the bench with clear signs of pain, some 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 the squad 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, the team played five matches in 16 days, and all of them, except the one against Carabobo in the Copa Sudamericana, were with 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 on the scoreboard, which demanded an added 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 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 need an extra effort to win a title and secure qualification 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.