Diego Martínez ahead of Huracán-River: "I expect a game with space to exploit"

Huracán is gearing up for a matchup with extra flavor. This Saturday at 7:00 PM, the Globo travels to face River at the Monumental in Núñez for matchday ten of the 2026 Clausura Tournament, and the game arrives with added stakes: both clubs are fighting to finish among the top eight in Group B and reach the playoffs, and River has just climbed into that pack thanks to a recent surge in form.

On Thursday, at a press conference, Diego Martínez looked ahead to what's coming. The coach made clear he isn't expecting a defensive-minded opponent: "We should try to impose ourselves on our rival. I expect a game where there will surely be space to take advantage of. Facing this kind of team makes you pay close attention to certain details. On Saturday we're going to play against an opponent that, on top of how it's playing, is starting to get results," he explained.

On River's style, Martínez was direct: he sees them as a team that "goes forward and gives up space," and that's exactly where Huracán will look to do damage. He also had words for one player in particular on River's roster, Kalinger, whom he described as someone with "a lot of personality and intensity" and the kind of versatility "any coach would want to have."

Chasing a nearby goal

Beyond the opponent at hand, Martínez focused on his own team's present. The Globo sits three points behind second place and is dreaming of returning to international competition. The coach was clear about what fans and the club expect: "We're not in debt to anyone, we want to improve in every match in such a competitive league. The other day I said beating Racing was an important win because of how much winning is enjoyed at this club. We want to give the fans more victories. Right now we're three points off second place, close to the goal of getting back into an international cup," he added.

Winning is a consequence of the work, and sometimes you have to adapt to what's possible. Working with a long-term view gives you a way to carry it forward. All of us who have come through this club want to win a title. Our league is so competitive that it lets everyone hold onto that goal. Our short-term target is to qualify for the playoffs and get back into an international cup, and if that happens we'll be close to the other one tooDiego Martínez

The coach also spoke about the relationship with fan expectations, something felt intensely in Parque Patricios. "Fans always have the right to speak up, and it's fair that they always want to win. We're professionals who, besides wanting to win, try to work in the best possible way to achieve it. We live soccer in a bit of an unforgiving way, those are the rules we grew up with," he acknowledged, adding that the challenge is building "our own working environment" and becoming "a recognizable team."

On the team's collective play, he highlighted the group as one of the best he's worked with and pointed to Gil's contribution, both as a starter and coming off the bench, given his experience in these kinds of matches. To wrap up, he defined the identity Huracán is chasing: getting organized around controlling the match, but also being ready to fight when control isn't there, always with the intention of reaching the opponent's goal.