River Plate’s coach, Marcelo Gallardo, recovered Enzo Pérez but will not be able to count on Esequiel Barco for the match against Newell’s Old Boys, to be played next Saturday at the Monumental on date 13 of the Professional League.
The captain, Pérez, recovered from the blow to his left knee that took him out of the game against Independiente and will be part of the squad, although Gallardo must decide whether to support Bruno Zuculini, who had a good performance by replacing him.
For his part, Barco continues with some discomfort in his left hamstring, an injury that he already had in the match against Aldosivi and as it happened on that occasion he will be out of the team for at least a week until he recovers.
Barco’s loss gives Gallardo the chance to play again with two strikers, who could be Matías Suárez or, with fewer chances, Miguel Borja, or add a midfielder with possibilities for José Paradela or Nicolás De La Cruz.
The other doubt in the team is due to the soccer slump of Rodrigo Aliendro, who was a forced change in the last three games with income in all the matches of the Uruguayan De La Cruz.
As for the rest of the team, Gallardo will be able to repeat the defense for the second consecutive game after the entry for the first time of Emanuel Mammana as the first central marker and Paulo Díaz as the second defender.
The bottom line that Milton Casco and Elías Gómez completed on the wings was the 12th defensive combination used by the coach in the 15 official presentations he had in the semester.
As a result of David Martínez’s injury, who has a tear in his right adductor, the coach’s idea is to support the four defenders who had a good performance against Independiente for several games.
As for the players who worked differently were Felipe Peña Biafore, with knee discomfort; Robert Rojas, who is now physically discharged after his fractured tibia and fibula and is making progress in the set-up, and the aforementioned Martínez and Barco.