ASUNCIÓN — The outcome of River Plate’s match today against
Guaraní, in Paraguay, will determine if the team reaches the Libertadores Cup final — 19 years after last making it to that stage.
After having won the first leg 2-0 at their home pitch at the Monumental stadium last week, today’s match will be played at the Defensores del Chaco stadium in Asunción at 9pm (Argentine time). Chilean Julio Bascuñán will be the referee.
The goals scored by Gabriel Mercado and Uruguayan Rodrigo Mora last Tuesday in Buenos Aires, gave the 2014 South American Cup title winner River Plate a comfortable advantage before travelling to Paraguay.
If it advances, it will know its final’s rival tomorrow when Mexico’s Tigres of Monterrey plays Inter of Brazil the second leg in Mexico. Inter won 2-1 the first leg in Porto Alegre.
River squad in hosted at the modern Yacht Club & Golf hotel in the residential neighbourhood Lambaré, close to the Paraná river.
Coach Marcelo Gallardo will decide today who will replace suspended Leonardo Ponzio, who was banned by double yellow cards.
The head-to-head history between both teams favours River with five wins out of five matches played. The first match was at the Libertadores Cup semifinal first leg in 1966 with River (Jorge Solari, Daniel Onega, Miguel Loayza) beating Guaraní (Felix Arámbulo) 3-1. In the second leg, River (Daniel Onega -2-, Miguel Loayza) defeated Guaraní (Ramón Martínez) by the same score at home. They face against each other at the Libertadores Cup group stage in 2001 with the following results: River Plate 4 (Javier Saviola -2- Martín Cardetti, Fernando Cavenaghi) Guaraní 0 and Guaraní 0 River Plate 1 (Víctor Zapata). The fifth was last week’s River’s 2-0 win at the Monumental.
If both teams scored the same number of goals after both legs, will advance the club with the highest number of goals scored as a visitor. If after these procedures both teams maintain equality, there will be a penalty shootout to determine the winner.
Probable lineups — Guaraní: Alfredo Aguilar; Rubén Maldonado; Julio César Cáceres or Luis Cabral, Juan Patiño y Tomás Bartomeus; Luis de La Cruz, Jorge Mendoza, Marcelo Palau and Juan Aguilar; Julián Benítez and Federico Santander. Coach: Fernando Jubero.
River: Marcelo Barovero; Gabriel Mercado, Jonatan Maidana, Ramiro Funes Mori and Leonel Vangioni; Carlos Sánchez, Matías Kranevitter, Luis González and Sebastián Driussi or Gonzalo Martínez; Rodrigo Mora and Lucas Alario. Coach: Marcelo Gallardo.
Herald staff with Télam, online media
Source: Buenos Aires Herald