River Plate vs. Independiente: the preview
Marcelo Gallardo's team tried until the end and took a valuable prize from the Libertadores de América stadium. Situated in the added time of River Plate vs. Independiente, the visiting team attacked from all sides until, in a local defensive mistake, the ball was left for Matías Suárez to score the 1-0 goal of the match.
Precisely, the author of the last-minute conquest appeared outside the penalty area and passed the ball to Elías Gómez, who made a cross. Defender Lucas Rodríguez headed the ball to clear it. However, the ball ended up with Milton Casco, who played it down the wing to Pablo Solari.
River's new attempt was also cleared by Lucas González and, in the same way, Bruno Zuculini took possession of the ball. The River midfielder kicked straight towards the goal, but there was a deflection off Sergio Barreto's foot.
After that, Lucas Romero was left bewildered and Matías Suárez took advantage of the favorable situation. The River Plate forward shot towards the far post to beat goalkeeper Milton Álvarez. Immediately, the 'Millonarios' celebrated it all, despite the claims of a possible offside position that was dismissed by the referee.
River Plate vs. Independiente: the preview
The 'Millonarios' had three unbeaten matches in the tournament, but last week that positive streak ended with a 1-2 defeat against Sarmiento. In this scenario, Marcelo Gallardo must make changes to find the right path against a rival that is also struggling.
'Muñeco' Gallardo is considering the inclusion of Paulo Díaz and Javier Pinola in place of Emanuel Mammana and the injured David Martínez. Furthermore, Pablo Solari would be a starter for the first time instead of Santiago Simón. Additionally, Esequiel Barco recovered from a muscular discomfort to take Miguel Borja's spot.
On the other hand, Independiente is going through a rough patch at an institutional level and that has affected the performance of the professional team, which has gone six games without a win. However, last weekend they shook it off against Colón and won 0-3 in Santa Fe. Also, against 'Millo', it will be the debut of coach Julio César Falcioni, who returned to Avellaneda.