Nacional Looks to Bounce Back Against River Plate in Copa AUF Uruguay, Riding High After Derby Win

A lackluster draw in the opener and no room for another slip up. That's the situation Nacional faces this Thursday at Parque Federico Omar Saroldi, needing all three points and riding a wave of confidence after putting the derby behind them. River Plate, meanwhile, shows up as group leader with a chance to open up a significant gap if it wins again.

The match is part of Matchday 2 of Group 5 in the 2026 Copa AUF Uruguay and kicks off at 3:30 PM (Uruguay and Argentina time) at the Dársena stadium. Albion and Progreso round out the group, so every point handed out at the Saroldi will carry weight in the standings.

Momentum arriving at just the right time

Nacional heads into this game on a high. Over the weekend the club beat Peñarol 1-0 at the Campeón del Siglo in Matchday 4 of the Torneo Clausura, with a stunning backheel goal from Francisco Calvo that fans will be talking about for a while. That result gave a much needed confidence boost to a squad that hadn't managed a win yet in the Copa AUF Uruguay: in its cup opener, Nacional drew 0-0 against Albion and settled for just a single point. River Plate, on the other hand, got off to a strong start. The club thrashed Progreso 2-0 on Matchday 1 and now sits atop Group 5 with three points. That adds extra spice to Thursday's match: if Nacional wins, it climbs into the lead and puts River under pressure to respond quickly. If the home side holds on to that edge, it pulls away and can breathe a bit easier as the group race takes shape.

Names to watch

Coach Daniel Carreño has some intriguing options for this matchup. Beyond Calvo, the squad's standouts include the experience of Sebastián Coates, the playmaking of Luciano Boggio, and the defensive contribution of Luis Mejía. Up front, all eyes are on Maximiliano Silvera, who stepped into the derby lineup after an injury to Maximiliano Gómez and is now looking to lock down a spot in the attack.

River Plate, for its part, is coming off a 0-0 draw with Rentistas last Sunday in the Segunda División Profesional, so it arrives with less offensive momentum than its rival, though with the comfort of sitting atop the group table.

The most recent meeting between the two clubs clearly favors Nacional's opponent: on August 30, 2025, in the Torneo Clausura, River Plate won 3-0 at this same venue, with goals from Julián Millán, Maximiliano Gómez, and Nicolás López. Nacional will look to erase that memory and, in the process, start finding its footing in the Copa AUF Uruguay.

The match will air live on DSports.