Defensa y Justicia vs River
Defensa y Justicia were knocked out of the Copa Liga Profesional in the quarter-finals following a 2-0 away defeat at Boca Juniors. That loss also broke their three-match unbeaten streak of two wins and one draw in league action. However, the team are fifth-placed in the aggregate table with 25 points, thinking of next year’s continental competitions. Afterwards, they said goodbye to the Copa Sudamericana with a 2-2 away draw at Ecuador’s LDU Quito and a 2-0 home loss to Chile’s Antofagasta. On a positive note, Defensa lost only one of their last 18 league games at home, winning ten and drawing seven.
River Plate couldn’t make it to the top four either: they lost 2-1 to Tigre at home in the quarter-finals after three games unbeaten in league action (two victories and one stalemate). However, El Millonario are sitting in the second spot of the aggregate table on 29 points. After that slump, the team won their group in the Copa Libertadores by beating Chile’s Colo Colo 4-0 and Peru’s Alianza Lima 8-1, both at home. Furthermore, River claimed five successes across the last six away league games (losing only once). Coach Marcelo Gallardo will miss Julian Alvarez, Franco Armani, Hector Martinez, Paulo Diaz and Nicolas De la Cruz, who have joined their national squads. Matias Suarez misses out again and Milton Casco succumbed to a muscle injury.
Too many missings for River including their goalkeeper, their top scorer and best defender due to the international break, so Defensa should get something from this game.