River hosts Santa Fe at the Monumental with Copa Sudamericana life on the line

Nil-nil, no goals but the tie still wide open. That's how things stood after the first leg at El Campín, and now the decider shifts to Estadio Monumental, where River needs to break the deadlock to keep its Copa Sudamericana campaign alive. No room for comfort here: qualification will be settled in 90 minutes, or more if it comes to that.

On Wednesday, August 26, River hosts Independiente Santa Fe in the second leg of the round of 16 in the continental tournament, with the winner set to face Vasco da Gama in the quarterfinals. Kickoff is at 9:30 PM in Argentina and Uruguay, 8:30 PM in Chile, and 7:30 PM in Colombia, Peru and Ecuador, with the match airing through Disney+'s Premium Plan across South America.

Gustavo Coudet already has his mind on lineup changes, and according to Juan Patricio Balbi on Buen Día ESPN, River's manager is weighing three modifications to the last starting eleven, both in defense and up front. The plan centers on reinforcing the flanks: Gonzalo Montiel and Marcos Acuña would return to the fullback spots, leaving the center of defense to the usual pairing of Lucas Martínez Quarta and Nicolás Otamendi.

In midfield, the double pivot would be made up of Aníbal Moreno and Tobías Andrada, with Joaquín Freitas, Thiago Almada and Ángel Correa given more freedom further forward. Up top, there would be a single reference point: Sebastián Driussi, who has been building up minutes gradually and arrives with match rhythm after returning to action against Vélez.

With those changes, River's likely starting eleven would be: Santiago Beltrán; Montiel, Martínez Quarta, Otamendi, Acuña; Moreno, Andrada, Freitas, Almada, Correa; Driussi.

A matchup that could shift the mood for both sides

Neither River nor Santa Fe are going through their best stretch in their respective domestic leagues, which makes this clash carry extra weight. For both teams, advancing to the next round could provide the morale boost needed to find consistency at home. River comes off a draw at home against Vélez, while Santa Fe tied with América de Cali in a match marked by serious incidents off the field.

On the home side, all eyes are on Ángel Correa and Thiago Almada, River's two most important signings, from whom a high level of performance is expected to unlock what promises to be a tight match. On the other side, Nahuel Bustos and Hugo Rodallega are the names to watch: the Argentine forward gave River's defense trouble in Bogotá with his mobility, and Rodallega, drawing on all his experience, was one of the standout figures in the first leg in front of his home crowd.

The tie is even, with no away goals rule or home advantage to settle anything. Everything will be decided at the Monumental, with River needing to make its home turf count and Santa Fe knowing that a draw with goals would be enough to send it through to the quarterfinals.