Peñarol and Nacional Set for an Unusual Derby Loaded With First Timers

Some things never change no matter how much time passes: the first time a player steps onto the field for a Peñarol versus Nacional match, it stays with him forever. This Sunday, August 30, at Estadio Campeón del Siglo starting at 3:30 p.m., the two rivals meet again in a new edition of the Uruguayan derby for matchday four of the Torneo Clausura in the 2026 Liga AUF season, and there are quite a few names for whom this will be a first ever appearance in the fixture.

On Peñarol's side, Diego Aguirre has a squad where most players already know what it feels like to take part in this match, whether from the Supercopa Uruguaya or from the Torneo Apertura a few months back. But there are exceptions. Thiago Espinosa, Leonel Jaime and Brian Barboza were not part of the squad for those earlier clashes, so if they get minutes on Sunday it will mark their derby debut. Then there's the particular case of Franco Romero: the defender has already played in two official derbies, but wearing Nacional's colors. Now, on the other side of the rivalry, it would be his first time in a match of this magnitude wearing the black and yellow.

There's also the situation of Luis Angulo, who was part of the squad for the Torneo Apertura derby but stayed on the bench without playing a minute, which is different from making his debut but still doesn't count as real experience on the field. And keep an eye on the young players who have been in and around the squad without being regular starters: Ignacio Alegre, Brandon Álvarez and Tomás Olase have also yet to play in a top flight derby.

A Nacional Squad With Plenty of New Faces

On Nacional's side the picture is even more striking, since the transfer window left the club with a long list of new signings who have never experienced this match wearing the tricolor jersey. That group includes Alexis Martín Arias, Francisco Calvo, Benjamín Núñez, Bruno Zuculini, Santiago Silva, Rubén Botta and Tiziano Correa. For all of them, this Sunday will be the first time they feel up close what a Uruguayan derby really weighs.

Add to that list players who came up through the club's own youth academy, some recently promoted to the first team and others who simply hadn't been called on for previous derbies: Paolo Calione, Tomás Viera, Juan Ignacio García and Pavel Núñez round out the group of possible Nacional debutants.

The context hasn't been kind to Nacional so far this year: the club lost on penalties to Peñarol in the Supercopa Uruguaya and then fell 0-1 at the Gran Parque Central in the Torneo Apertura. With so many new faces on both sides, Sunday's derby will carry, on top of the usual tension, that special element of watching several players find out for the first time what this match truly means.