River fans set for another road trip, this time to Tucuman for the Clausura

Another weekend, another caravan of River fans on the road. The Nunez club confirmed that its supporters will once again be able to follow the team as visitors, this time at Atletico Tucuman, for matchday nine of the Torneo Clausura. It's no small detail for a fan base that has long pushed to fill away stands again.

The precedent is fresh: last Sunday, River played at Banfield with its own fans in the visiting section, right in the middle of Leonardo Ponzio's debut as head coach. Now it's the north's turn. The match against the Decano is set for Saturday, September 12 at 5:30 p.m., at the Estadio Monumental Jose Fierro.

According to Gustavo Yarroch on Buen Dia ESPN, Atletico Tucuman's proposal is to make 5,000 general admission tickets and 250 seats available for fans traveling from Buenos Aires. That's a considerable allotment, given the logistics of moving that many people such a long distance midweek.

The usual controversy: ticket prices

And that brings up the other issue that always comes up whenever a club opens its doors to visiting fans: money. Without official confirmation from the Tucuman club yet, the prices being floated are around $100,000 for general admission and $160,000 for seats. As has been happening at stadiums around the country, those figures are stirring frustration among fans who have to cover the trip, the ticket and everything else.

On the field, River arrives at this match with no room for distraction. The club has already been eliminated from the CONMEBOL Sudamericana and the Copa Argentina, and is going through this stretch without Eduardo Coudet on the bench. With every front closed except one, the Clausura is the only competition left, and the standings don't exactly invite relaxation: River sits eleventh in Zone B, with 11 points through 7 matchdays.

Before boarding the bus to Tucuman, though, there's one stop to take care of at the Monumental. This Sunday, River hosts Independiente Rivadavia, currently the leader of the Tabla Anual, the same standings table where the Millonario needs to start climbing if it hopes to reach international cup positions. Two matches in a row, two different tests, with the same urgency underneath: get points on the board.