River faces the final stretch of preparation for the second leg against Atlético Mineiro for the quarterfinals of the Copa Libertadores, a game in which he will have to reverse the 0-1 of the opening of the key but this time neither more nor less than in Brazil. Coach Marcelo Gallardo arrives at the preview of Wednesday’s meeting, the one in which he announced that his drivers they will have to offer “a more complete match” to stay alive in the contest, without the most ideal postcard: beyond the victory over Vélez, emotionally important, the DT finishes defining his eleven knowing that does not have Fabrizio Angileri and Nicolás De la Cruz in their most suitable state. Both dragged muscle discomfort in recent days and the Uruguayan even trained differently this Monday.
“We have to be more focused, attentive and decisive in Brazil”, had analyzed the Doll as soon as the first leg game ended, aware that it was not the best face of River in a definition instance but, at the same time, that it is only a minimal advantage. And the millionaire set, under his leadership, has already reverted more adverse markers to pure epic and football.
This time, however, the picture appears a bit more complex: an irregular start in the Professional Football League tournament, the blow of Gonzalo Montiel’s game to Sevilla in a squad that had already run out of an icon such as Colombian Rafael Santos Borré (top scorer of the Gallardo era), some bewilderment of the last image of the team’s cup after a weak second half against the Brazilians … And, as if that weren’t enough, a bad ending: the absence of Enzo Pérez in the middle for the return at the Mineirao, after he was reprimanded at the Monumental and reached the yellow limit.
Added to that riverplatense scene is some question in the preview of the flight to Brazil, scheduled for this Tuesday: the situation of Angileri and De la Cruz, which although it is estimated that they will become part of the starting eleven, it is clear that there are no certainties about whether it will be in the ideal state. The Uruguayan midfielder did not even play against Vélez due to muscular fatigue, while the left-back had to leave in the second half due to a discomfort in the left adductor muscle. They both did kinesiology homework this Sunday and, In morning training this Monday, the Uruguayan was preserved to play the rematch.
Except for some oddity that comes your way at the last minute, Gallardo only has to solve the replacement of Enzo Pérez. Possible substitutes for the experienced footballer from Mendoza are Enzo Fernández – scorer last weekend against those of Liniers -, José Paradela or Agustín Palavecino. A confirmed variant will be the return of the Cordovan Matías Suárez in attack by the Colombian Jorge Carrascal.
River will go for the comeback against Mineiro the night that The Brazilian cast will be reunited with their audience at the return of the Mineirao capacity, which awaits 16,000 spectators. The probable Argentine team would be with Franco Armani; Milton Casco, Paulo Díaz, David Martínez and Angileri; Bruno Zuculini, Fernández / Paradela / Palavecino, Julián Alvarez and De la Cruz; Suárez and Braian Romero.
The same statistics that had predicted a difficult triumph in the Monumental to open the series (because, in the Gallardo era, River could never beat a Brazilian team there for the Libertadores), also advance that this Wednesday night will be a very difficult game. And it is that the Argentine team will have to reverse the score against a Mineiro that has not lost at home since May 30 (when they fell 2-1 to Fortaleza, by Brasileirao) and that, in the continental tournament, he has been undefeated that scares: there are ten games without defeats (six wins and four draws) and, in addition, five consecutive without conceding goals. Of course, the River de Gallardo has shown ample evidence of not being afraid of statistics or epic nights, where it lights up the football it needs to continue to shine.
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