River Draws Blank Without Montiel and Acuña in Bogota, Hopes to Get World Cup Winners Back for Santa Fe Rematch

A scoreless draw, and the sense that River left something on the field. The tie against Independiente Santa Fe at El Campin, in the first leg of the round of 16 in the Copa Sudamericana, told more about who was missing than about anything that happened on the pitch. Now, with the second leg coming up next Wednesday at the Monumental, there's really just one question circulating around Nunez: who will Eduardo Coudet get back?

In Bogota, Chacho had to put together an emergency defense. Without Gonzalo Montiel and Marcos Acuna, two undisputed starters, he sent out Lucas Martinez Quarta at right back and Facundo Gonzalez on the left, with Nicolas Otamendi and Lautaro Rivero paired at center back. It worked in the sense that the defense kept a clean sheet, but it's not the team Coudet has in mind.

That's because the coach's plan is built around something else: getting all four Qatar 2022 World Cup winners back into the lineup he usually starts with. That means Montiel, Martinez Quarta, Otamendi and Acuna forming the back four, each in his natural spot. Montiel is nursing a muscle injury in his left adductor and there's still no exact timeline for his return. Acuna, on the other hand, recovered faster than expected: he had a strain in his right hamstring and was cleared by team doctors this Thursday, according to Gustavo Yarroch of ESPN. That puts him in real contention to start in Wednesday's rematch, kicking off at 9:30 p.m.

The midfield didn't escape the injury list either. Mauro Arambarri went off with a sprained left ankle, and Angel Correa finished the match in Bogota with bruising in his right thigh, which is why he was substituted late. Those are two pieces Coudet needs to keep the team's system running, especially against an opponent that will look to play a different style at the Monumental.

With Thiago Almada, the story was different: it wasn't an injury but a precaution. The Millonario's new signing had finished the match against Argentinos Juniors with some discomfort, so Coudet chose not to risk starting him in Colombia and only brought him on for the final half hour, in place of Rafael Santos Borre.

Still No Timeline

The outlook is tougher for Sebastian Driussi and Juan Carlos Portillo, both of whom remain unable to compete. Driussi tore his right soleus during preseason and hasn't even been medically cleared: he hasn't played a single minute this season. Portillo, for his part, suffered a torn ACL in his right knee back in February, an injury that requires several more months of recovery.

Before turning its attention to Santa Fe, River faces a tough test on Sunday, hosting Velez, who sit just behind in Group A and are in good form domestically. The Nunez side arrives needing reinforcements to give Coudet options he didn't have in Bogota, while Velez, second to last in their group, need points to reach the playoffs and stay in the fight for the Tabla Anual.