River’s top attacking trio set to face Unión in Copa Argentina 🔥 | OneFootball

River dropped two points at the end of their visit to Lanús, and Marcelo Gallardo’s reaction, along with the suspension of the press conference, made his frustration over the draw clear. But beyond the result, the coach’s anger had a deeper origin: his team once again lacked cohesion. And that will have consequences.

First and foremost, except for the central defensive duo of Lautaro Rivero and Juan Carlos Portillo, and Giuliano Galoppo with his determination in the box, none of the substitutes made a strong case to earn a spot. Therefore, on Thursday against Unión in the Copa Argentina, all the starters who were rested will return, with a new possibility so far: the trio of Maximiliano Salas-Sebastián Driussi-Facundo Colidio.

With the return of the former Racing player after his injury, and at the same high level he showed before his knee sprain, there’s no doubt Gallardo will put him back in the starting eleven. He brings something different: a dose of drive, intensity, and offensive hunger that, yesterday, in 45 minutes on the field, became evident with Miguel Borja’s substitution.

Along those lines, since the midfielders who played in the South didn’t perform up to expectations, with the exception of Galoppo, who would likely remain in the starting lineup, the coaching staff is strongly considering playing with three clearly defined forwards. That is, what could be described, in terms of names, as the ideal attacking line that River has not yet been able to enjoy.

Driussi’s ankle injury prevented him from sharing the field with Salas since his controversial arrival from Racing due to the release clause; and then, vice versa: when the “Gordo” recovered, the left-footer was sidelined for several weeks. In the South, they paired up—for a while—for the first time, but Thursday in Mendoza could be the debut with Colidio (who came off in the second half against Lanús) included.

Because of their versatility and ability to play on the wings, logic suggests that in a trio, Colidio and Salas would play out wide and Driussi would be River’s center forward. Thanks to his ease at dropping back and linking up play, the “Gordo” could act as a sort of false 9, with goal-scoring ability and the skill to create play and open up spaces.

River’s probable lineup for the Copa Argentina

Franco Armani; Gonzalo Montiel, Lucas Martínez Quarta, Paulo Díaz, Marcos Acuña; Ignacio Fernández, Enzo Pérez, Giuliano Galoppo; Maximiliano Salas, Sebastián Driussi, and Facundo Colidio.

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