River visits Vélez Sarsfield for the Professional League: time, TV, formations

The River Plate leader will debut this Sunday in Liniers against a Vélez Sarsfield in a sporting crisis with the ambition of sustaining his good progress in the Professional League, in which he enjoys an appreciable advantage over the escort San Lorenzo.

The match at the José Amalfitani stadium, which will lower the curtain on the 18th. date, will be held from 9:30 p.m. refereed by Fernando Echenique and ESPN Premium broadcast.

With 13 victories in 17 appearances, River has given very few chances to its pursuers and consolidated a wide difference that today is expressed in five points, although it may be temporarily reduced to two if the “Cyclone” wins today in its visit to Barracas Central.

Without the intention of risking the accumulated credit, the League leader will appeal all his potential to visit Vélez, regardless of the wear and tear caused by his double competition in the Copa Libertadores.

The “Millionaire” returned on Friday from a trip to Peru, where he drew with Sporting Cristal (1-1) and was left with no margin of error to seek qualification for the round of 16 in the last two group dates.

DT Martín Demichelis will use all the starters again and will recover defender Leandro González Pírez, who lost the commitment in Lima due to a suspension.

His return to the starting eleven will take place as a replacement for Paraguayan Robert Rojas.

The “Millo” will have a second modification in the last line because the left back Enzo Díaz returned from Peru with a sprained knee and will not be available in Liniers.

This loss opens the door for Andrés Herrera from Corrientes on the right side and changes the band to the versatile Milton Casco.

River will try to win again as a visitor in the League after achieving an agonizing draw against Atlético Tucumán and enduring a defeat against Talleres de Córdoba at the Mario Alberto Kempes World Cup stadium.

The three points at stake tomorrow would be highly valued given the concrete possibility that Demichelis would rotate the team next weekend against Defensa y Justicia due to the proximity of the momentous game against Fluminense of Brazil, on June 7 at the Monumental.

In that match, they are forced to win so as not to compromise their round pass and define the ticket to the round of 16 as a local for The Strongest of Bolivia on the last date.

Vélez is going through a hard sporting present that an idol of the house and prestigious DT like Ricardo Gareca still could not reverse. The team has gone eight games without victories and since the return of the “Tiger” it has only been able to win once: 4-0 vs. Central Córdoba of Santiago del Estero, on March 21.

The repeated bad results generate a thick climate in the club, which will hold elections at the end of the year. After the defeat against Estudiantes de La Plata three weeks ago, the team received a visit from the barra brava at the Villa Olímpica.

The team is among the four worst performers in the LPF (25th with 17 units) and next season will start in a disturbing 23rd. position in the table of averages.

In the ten games of his new cycle, Gareca tried different formations and none convinced him. This week he rehearsed with Julián Fernández and Lenny Lobato instead of Lucas Janson and Abiel Osorio.

River is the rival that gets the most games from him in the general history (amateurism and professionalism). The difference is 47 games (97 “millionaire” victories, 50 for Vélez and 50 draws in 197 games).

Velez Sarsfield: Gaston Gomez; Tomás Guidara, Lautaro Giannetti, Diego Godín and Francisco Ortega; Christian Ordóñez, Damián Fernández and Julián Fernández; Gianluca Prestianni, Lucas Pratto and Lenny Lobato or Lucas Janson. DT: Ricardo Gareca.

River Plate: Franco Armani; Andrew Herrera, Leandro Gonzalez Perez, Paulo Diaz and Milton Casco; Enzo Perez and Rodrigo Aliendro; Nicholas De la Cruz, Ignatius Fernandez and Ezequiel Barco; Lucas Beltran. DT: Martin Demichelis.

• Referee: Fernando Echenique.
• WAS: Hector Paletta.
• Estadio: Joseph Amalfitani.
• Start time: 21.30.
• Television: ESPN Premium.