River Plate, which leads the standings with a four-point advantage over San Lorenzo, will risk that condition this Sunday when they visit Newell’s with an alternative team, at the Coloso Bielsa stadium, in Rosario’s Parque Independencia, on the 12th of the Professional League.
The match will be played from 7:00 p.m., will be refereed by Hernán Mastrángelo and televised by the cable signal TNT Sports.
Martín Demichelis’s team, which has just beaten Gimnasia y Esgrima La Plata 3-0 at the Monumental de Núñez stadium, has gone on a series of seven consecutive victories, without conceding goals, in the local tournament. He accumulates 27 points and is followed by San Lorenzo, who has 23.
However, the “millionaire” technical director will put an alternative team tomorrow to preserve the starters for Wednesday’s match, when he receives Sporting Cristal from Peru, for the second date of the Copa Libertadores.
In the cup debut, River lost 3-1 with The Strongest at the height of the Bolivian city of La Paz, which is why Demichelis decided to save the headlines to look for a victory on Wednesday that straightens his campaign after qualifying in the Libertadores.
In this way, Demichelis would only put a handful of starters tomorrow, which will be goalkeeper Franco Armani, defender Leandro González Pirez, left back Enzo Díaz and right midfielder Agustín Aliendro.
Opposite will be the demanding Newell’s, who with 18 points are completing a good campaign, in which they have gone undefeated in five home games, without conceding goals, to which must be added their 2-0 victory over Boca, on the last date of the past tournament.
However, in that fortress at home, Newell’s went from a good game against San Lorenzo -which they beat 1-0 when they came leading- to a poor performance in the Rosario classic, when they drew goalless against Central, who had the best arrivals.
Gabriel Heinze’s team, which had lost several away games, recovered in that condition when they beat Audax Italiano 1-0 in Chile, for the Copa Sudamericana, and above all with their 1-0 victory over Racing, in the Cilindro from Avellaneda, with a headed goal from Paraguayan defender Gustavo Velázquez.
The “Gringo” Heinze stopped a mixed team that day with a base of starters and the rest of the substitutes, with a line of five defenders, another of two midfielders and another of three forwards, which he will maintain tomorrow with the objective of counteracting the volume of river game.
Heinze put together a line of three defenders with Velázquez, the Colombian Willer Ditta and Guillermo Ortiz, seconded by the Uruguayan winger Armando Méndez and by the left winger Ángelo Martino. In front of them he stopped midfielders Lisandro Montenegro and Juan Sforza, and Ecuadorian Djorkaeff Reasco, Jeremías Pérez Tica and Ramiro Sordo as forwards.
Now Heinze has the entire squad at his disposal, with the exception of striker Ramiro Sordo, who sprained his knee for which he went off against Racing 18 minutes into the first half. The DT will wait for his evolution until before the game to find out if he will be able to play as a starter or, at least, occupy a place on the substitute bench.
River and Newell’s last played on August 13, 2022 in a match that ended with a 4-1 win in favor of the “millionaire” team, with two goals from Pablo Solari, one from Javier Pinola -now Demichelis’s field assistant – and another by Matías Suárez, while the experienced midfielder Pablo Pérez discounted for the “rojinegros”.
Probable formations:
Newell’s: Lucas Hoyos; Armando Méndez, Gustavo Velázquez, Willer Ditta, Guillermo Ortiz or Facundo Mansilla and Bruno Pittón; Lisandro Montenegro and Juan Sforza; Djorkaeff Reasco, Jeremías Pérez Tica and Ramiro Sordo or Marcos Portillo. DT: Gabriel Heinze.
River: Franco Armani; Andrew Herrera, Leandro Gonzalez, Emmanuel Mammana and Enzo Diaz; Rodrigo Aliendro, Augustin Palavecino, Santiago Solari and Jose Paradela; Miguel Borja and Paul Solari. DT: Martin Demichelis.
Court: Coloso Bielsa (Rosario).
Referee: Hernán Mastrángelo.
VAR: Leandro Rey Hilfer and Diego Bonfá.
Start time: 19.
TV: TNT Sports.
