River vs Belgrano
Defending champions River Plate had a rough afternoon last Sunday and registered a lucky scoreless home stalemate against Instituto (at Independiente), with goalkeeper Franco Armani in superb form. That result allowed them to secure their spot in the playoff, but in second spot of the group A table on 24 points (two behind group winners Huracan) following a three-match winless streak of one draw and two losses in this competition. Captain Enzo Perez is ready to return on Sunday after serving his one-match suspension.
After clinching their spot in the playoffs, Belgrano showed a terrible version and closed up their campaign in the group stage with a disappointing 4-1 away defeat at Racing Club. That result dropped them to the third spot in the group B table on 21 points. In other news, El Pirata also qualified for the 2024 Copa Sudamericana via the aggregate table despite having lost three of their last five matches in this competition (along with one win and one draw). Centre back Erik Godoy remains sidelined.
As irregular as River has been in this competition, I think they have more than enough to beat this poor Belgrano that won’t have Erik Godoy in defense again. River should finally step up and with veteran team captain Enzo Perez back in the starting lineup, I think they should make it to the semifinals.