Major absence in River Plate squad

The big news on the squad list was the absence of Colombian player Juan Fernando Quintero, who stayed in Buenos Aires for additional tests because the medical staff noticed him "more tired than usual during physical workouts."

According to local sources, Quintero underwent a 24-hour holter monitoring and some additional exams to rule out any cardiac difficulties.

Once the tests are completed, and if there are no issues, Quintero will travel to the city of Neuquen to join the rest of the team led by Marcelo Gallardo in training sessions.

The 'millionaire' squad, the current runner-up of the Copa Libertadores, arrived in San Martin de los Andes with a five-hour delay and were escorted by ten thousand fans in a human corridor along seven kilometers, carrying a 95-meter long and 4-meter wide flag.

River Plate has one absence: midfielder Exequiel Palacios, who was transferred to German club Bayer Leverkusen, while Julian Alvarez and Jorge Carrascal are with their respective Under-23 national teams that will participate in the Olympic qualifiers for Argentina and Colombia.

The 'Millonario' will stay in San Martin de los Andes until January 10th, and the following Saturday, they will travel to Maldonado to play their only friendly match against Uruguay's Nacional.