Independiente is preparing to visit River Plate next Saturday at the Estadio Monumental for the fourth round of Zone B of the Apertura Tournament of the Liga Profesional de Fútbol (LPF). The team will seek to earn three points to end a 16-year winless streak at that stadium.
Independiente has had a perfect performance in the local tournament so far, with three victories in three matches, making them the leaders of the competition. After defeating Gimnasia y Esgrima de La Plata 2-0 in their last match, Julio Vaccari's team will look to maintain their positive streak against a challenging River Plate.
Independiente's last victory at Estadio Monumental dates back to 2009, under the management of Américo Gallego, with a score of 3-1 and goals from Darío Gandín, Ignacio Piatti, and Andrés Silvera. The Avellaneda team sees the present as an opportunity to break this negative streak against a River Plate that, despite remaining unbeaten in the LPF, has achieved only two draws and one victory in the first three rounds, generating some doubts among their fans and their coach Marcelo Gallardo.
Julio Vaccari plans to field the same team that faced Gimnasia y Esgrima de La Plata, with the possible inclusion of Santiago Montiel if he manages to recover from a right thigh injury. The starting eleven for Independiente could be: Rodrigo Rey; Federico Vera, Kevin Lomónaco, Sebastián Valdéz, Adrián Sporle; Iván Marcone, Felipe Loyola, Luciano Cabral; Lautaro Millán, Diego Tarzia, Gabriel Ávalos.
