The last Argentine soccer champion, leader of his zone with 10 points, will need a victory to access the next phase of the maximum continental competition in South America.
River will assume the commitment in the Monumental in an unfavorable context. Due to Covid-19, he will have two absences from the starting team: goalkeeper Franco Armani and midfielder Tomás Pochettino. Both, along with defender Javier Pinola, also infected, were left out of the list of 19 summoned.
Armani will be replaced by Ezequiel Centurión. The 24-year-old goalkeeper made his debut in the first division on May 8 in the 2-1 win against Platense for date 14 of group A of the Professional League Cup.
The young midfielder Santiago Simón, who lost his place among the starters, will try to recover his best football version to replace Pochettino.
Coach Marcelo Gallardo must define who will occupy the right side of the defense: if he keeps Andrés Herrera or Emanuel Mammana will enter.
In turn, River will have a forced change with the entry of Bruno Zuculini for the suspended Enzo Pérez.
Gallardo will also not have midfielder Juan Fernando Quintero. The Colombian suffered from the injury to his left hamstring in the days before the match against Colo Colo. Meanwhile, striker Matías Suárez will remain on the sidelines while he recovers from a tear in the soleus of his right leg.
In total, River has 10 casualties: Armani, Pochettino and Pinola (coronavirus); Pérez (accumulation of yellow cards); Quintero, Suárez, Robert Rojas, Felipe Peña Biafore, Cristian Ferreira and Flabián Londoño (injury).
El Millonario needs the win to ensure passage to the round of 16 and leave behind the elimination in the quarterfinals of the Professional League Cup at the hands of Tigre, one of the finalists along with Boca Juniors.
The 2-1 defeat in Núñez was unexpected and upset the mood of the team. Tomorrow you will have a good chance to overcome that misstep.
The matchup with Colo Colo will mark the first anniversary of the historic 2-1 win against Independiente Santa Fe de Colombia, at home, with Enzo Pérez as goalkeeper. Back then, River suffered heavy casualties from an outbreak of coronavirus on campus. The man from Mendoza -who was injured- was chosen as he could not count on any of the three goalkeepers listed in good faith: Armani, Germán Lux and Enrique Bologna.
Pérez was the hero on the night of May 19, 2021, where River, without substitutes, beat the Colombian team, with goals from Fabrizio Angileri and Julián Álvarez. The result was key for access to the round of 16 of that edition, beyond the fall against Fluminense on the last date.
Colo Colo, with a marked Argentine presence, will reach the Monumental on the rise. He is first in the league of his country and comes from beating Coquimbo 4-0. Coach Gustavo Quinteros, who is mentioned among the candidates to lead the Chilean team, will go with the best available formation in search of the three points that will leave the “Cacique” very close to the classification.
The history marks a positive balance for River: it won three, drew one and lost one. The latest precedent was the triumph of those led by Gallardo in Santiago de Chile, by 2-1, on April 27.
When is River vs Colo Colo played?
The match will be played at the Mâs Monumental from 9:00 p.m., and will be controlled by the Uruguayan Andrés Matont.
Where to watch River vs Colo Colo
The duel between Argentines and Chileans will be televised on ESPN.
possible formations
River: Ezekiel Centurion; Emanuel Mammana or Andrés Herrera, Paulo Díaz, David Martínez and Milton Casco; Bruno Zuculini; Enzo Fernández, Santiago Simón, Nicolás De la Cruz and Esequiel Barco; and Julian Alvarez. DT: Marcelo Gallardo.
Colo Colo: Brayan Cortes; Óscar Opazo, Maximiliano Falcón, Emiliano Amor and Gabriel Suazo; Cesar Fuentes and Esteban Pavez; Leonard Gil; Pablo Solari, Juan Martin Lucero and Gabriel Costa. DT: Gustavo Quinteros.
Source: Ambito
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