River Plate hosts Estudiantes de Río Cuarto at Monumental

River Plate faces Estudiantes de Río Cuarto at the Monumental stadium in the Torneo Clausura, as the Buenos Aires club seeks a playoff position and the Córdoba side fights to avoid relegation. The match is part of the competition's 12th round.

According to TyC Sports, River returns after 21 days without playing following a 2-1 defeat against Huracán and a postponed match against Sarmiento. The team sits ninth in Zone B and remains outside playoff positions.

Olé reported that River is also chasing a place in the 2027 Copa Libertadores through the annual table. The club had started Leonardo Ponzio's coaching era with three consecutive victories before the loss to Huracán.

Thiago Almada recovered from a left quadriceps tear and was included in the squad, according to Infobae. However, TyC Sports reported that Ponzio decided not to risk him, leaving him on the substitutes' bench and giving Lautaro Pereyra a chance in the starting lineup.

River's confirmed lineup included Santiago Beltrán, Gonzalo Montiel, Lucas Martínez Quarta, Nicolás Otamendi, Marcos Acuña, Fausto Vera, Tobías Andrada, Tomás Galván, Lautaro Pereyra, Ángel Correa and Sebastián Driussi, according to Infobae.

Estudiantes de Río Cuarto arrived at the Monumental in a difficult situation. TyC Sports reported that the Córdoba team had only six points in its zone, remained last in the group and was in danger of dropping from the top division.

The club entered the match after a 2-1 defeat against Racing and had not won since the opening round, when it defeated Tigre 1-0, according to TyC Sports. The team needed points to preserve its chances of staying in the division.

Infobae reported that Nazareno Arasa was appointed as the referee for the match, while the same outlet listed the starting formations for both teams before kickoff at the Monumental.