River finally reached the top of the domestic tournament, which it assumed for several dates as the only competition, without Copa Libertadores or Copa Argentina in between, since in both cases it was eliminated, and with the quality of its squad it snatched the first post to the surprising Talleres de Córdoba directed by the Uruguayan Alexander “Cacique” Medina.
The victory in the Superclásico against Boca last week was the step that allowed River de Gallardo, who ends his contract at the end of the year, to reach first place adding the success of the victory against his rival to a streak of seven matches without losing that he is going through, with five wins and two draws.
This River found in the forward Julian Alvarez (seven goals in the LPF) to his figure, the unbalancing value that makes the difference and that appeared together when Matias Suarez, the best forward “Millionaire” until a few months ago began to suffer a synovitis in his right knee that will force him to be operated on.
River will have 10 absences with Suárez’s injuries, Braian romero (tear), Enzo Perez (fissure of the fifth toe of the right foot) and Jonathan Maidana (muscle injury) and those cited to those selected as Franco Armani and Julian Alvarez with Argentina, Robert Rojas and David Martínez with Paraguay; Paulo Díaz with Chile and Nicolas de la Cruz with Uruguay, therefore the trip to Banfield will bring its risks.
Faced with these deficiencies, Gallardo can resort to youth and conditions of probable replacements such as the defender. Felipe Peña Biafore (20 years), Santiago Simon (19, played against Boca), Federico Girotti (22) and Benjamin Rollheiser (21), supported by the experience it could bring Enrique Bologna (39), Javier Pinola (38) the Bruno zuculini (28).
Banfield, still run by Javier Sanguinetti, who remains stoic in his position despite a weak campaign in which he was beaten four times, although he is in the last places due to the lack of victories, just two (one in the last 10 dates), and too many draws, since he accumulated Eight.
The “Drill” started Sanguinetti’s cycle reaching the final of the Diego Maradona Cup against Boca (he lost it last January 17 in definition with shots from the penalty spot) but many of the players who significantly raised the level of that team they emigrated like the Colombian archer Iván Arboleda, Jorge “Corcho” Rodríguez, Martín Payero, Agustín Fontana and Fabián Bordagaray, while others like Marcelino Galoppo ostensibly lowered their level.
However, Banfield today has as a promising striker Juan Manuel Cruz, the son of the “Gardener” Julio Cruz, who is the team’s goalscorer with five goals, 22 years old, in addition to hoping that Agustín Urzi (21) will once again recover those attributes that led him to be coveted by European teams and how much he brings the experience and punch of Jesus Dátolo at 37 years old.
In the history of the River Plate supremacy is absolute after 107 matches with an advantage of 64 wins against 18 and 25 draws, adding the “Millionaire” nine games without being defeated by the Banfileño in first division tournaments with six wins and three equalities.
Probable formations
Banfield: Facundo Altamirano; Emanuel Coronel, Alexis Maldonado, Luciano Lollo and Gustavo Canto; Nicolás Domingo, Giuliano Galoppo, Jesús Dátolo, Agustín Urzi and Juan Álvarez; Juan Cruz. DT: Javier Sanguinetti.
River Plate: Enrique Bologna; Milton Casco, Felipe Peña Biafore, Javier Pinola and Fabrizio Angileri; Agustín Palavecino, Santiago Simón, Bruno Zuculini; Jorge Carrascal, Federico Girotti and Benjamin Rollheiser. DT: Marcelo Gallardo.
Referee: Yael Falcón Pérez.
Court: Banfield.
Start time: 18.
TV: TNT Sports.
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