No rest for River: Gallardo set to ring the changes against San Martín (SJ) | OneFootball

The calendar gives River no respite. The triple competition forces Marcelo Gallardo to plan the match against San Martín de San Juan with just one training session after qualifying for the quarterfinals of the Copa Argentina, last night against Unión in Mendoza. The squad returns to Buenos Aires today and will have the day off, only resuming practice tomorrow.

Knowing that after the match against the San Juan team there will be two weeks of rest due to the double round of South American Qualifiers, Muñeco’s intention is to field the best players available to stay at the top of Group B in the Torneo Clausura and high up in the Annual Table. However, rotation will be unavoidable given the very short rest time between matches.

Although everything will depend on how he sees them when they return to training, there will be players resting this weekend. It is very likely that among them will be Enzo Pérez and Ignacio Fernández, the two oldest outfield players; Giuliano Galoppo, a starter in the last three matches; and Gonzalo Montiel and Marcos Acuña, the starting full-backs who will join the Argentina National Team next week.

One piece of good news for Sunday could be the return of Fabricio Bustos. After the injury he suffered against Godoy Cruz last August 17, the former Independiente player could be cleared to play and thus take Cachete’s place. With Milton Casco certain to play as left-back, the replacements for the other positions are not as clearly defined.

In midfield, Kevin Castaño, Matías Galarza, Juan Cruz Meza, and Juan Carlos Portillo himself—who has performed well as a central defender—are all in contention to start against San Martín. Santiago Lencina and Juan Fernando Quintero are the most attacking options available to Muñeco, with the Colombian’s presence almost guaranteed.

In defense, if he is physically fit, Lautaro Rivero would remain in the starting eleven, aiming to secure his place after a series of good performances. The question now is who will partner him: Lucas Martínez Quarta still hasn’t convinced, and Paulo Díaz, who was on the bench last night, could make it into the team.

As for the attack, both Sebastián Driussi and Maximiliano Salas are coming off injuries, and giving them a rest three days after the intense match against Unión doesn’t seem unreasonable. Given this, Gallardo could repeat last night’s change and opt for the duo of Facundo Colidio and Miguel Ángel Borja.

Probable River lineup vs. San Martín (SJ) Franco Armani; Fabricio Bustos, Paulo Díaz or Lucas Martínez Quarta, Lautaro Rivero, Milton Casco; Matías Galarza, Juan Carlos Portillo, Kevin Castaño or Juan Cruz Meza; Juan Fernando Quintero, Miguel Ángel Borja, and Facundo Colidio.

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