With Kendry Páez: River’s XI to face Boca | OneFootball

It is a tournament in itself, and both Eduardo Coudet and the entire River squad feel that way. After the eventful midweek win over Carabobo, Chacho will be forced to find a replacement for the injured Fausto Vera, in what, at first glance, would be the only change from the ideal starting XI. Juan Cruz Meza is the frontrunner and would start.

The coach’s idea had been to rest practically all the regular starters in the Copa Sudamericana match, but the lack of options in midfield forced him to turn to the former Atlético Mineiro player. If everything had gone well, Aníbal Moreno was going to replace him in the second half. But not everything went according to plan.

Vera suffered a grade 2 sprain of the medial collateral ligament in his left knee and will be out for several weeks. A starter in every match in which he was available (he missed one through suspension), his natural replacement would be Kevin Castaño, but Coudet decided not to call him up.

Given that, Juan Cruz Meza emerges as the main option. Having just turned 18, the kid from Caá Catí has regained the prominence he had lost at the end of 2025, and in recent matches he has been a predictable substitution off the bench. His first start under Chacho came on Wednesday, and he ended up playing in the position he could occupy against Boca. Although risky, today it is the option gaining the most traction in Núñez.

The rest of the team raises no major questions. With Santiago Beltrán in goal for his first Primera División Superclásico due to Franco Armani’s absence (will he regain the spot when he is available?), the back four is the one that has played together throughout 2025, with the two world champion full-backs and Lucas Martínez Quarta and Lautaro Rivero in central defense.

Moreno is always a lock in the middle of midfield, although he usually finishes matches physically on the edge. Besides Meza or whoever replaces Fausto Vera (Giuliano Galoppo or even Fabricio Bustos are options), the other starter will be Tomás Galván, the only River player who started all 16 matches of this 2026.

In addition, Kendry Páez will keep the remaining spot ahead of Ian Subiabre. The Ecuadorian’s strong cameo against Carabobo made him rise in Coudet’s estimation to the point that he now has the best chance of starting in the Superclásico.

Up front, everything is clearer. With Sebastián Driussi on fire — he has 5 goals in the 7 matches of the Coudet era — his partner will be the recovered Facundo Colidio, whom the coach sees as a second striker and who is coming off goals against Belgrano and Racing in the last two rounds of the Torneo Apertura.

River’s lineup vs. Boca, in the Torneo Apertura

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