Buenos Aires, Jan 9 (NA) – River continues its preseason in San Martín de los Andes, and coach Marcelo Gallardo has begun defining the starting lineup that will face Millonarios of Colombia in Montevideo next Sunday at 9:00 PM. According to the Argentine News Agency (NA), the main surprise is the likely absence of Maximiliano Salas, a regular in the 'Muñeco's' system during 2025, due to a tactical decision. This Friday, the millionaire squad held a football practice, and the head coach put on the field what could be the starting eleven that will face the Colombian team in the 2026 Rio de la Plata Series, a tournament in which the Núñez team will participate for the first time. Initially, the main absences would be Aníbal Moreno, who recently joined the River Plate squad and may not be 100% physically fit to start; Franco Armani, suffered a muscle tear and is a doubt for the start of the Apertura Tournament; and Marcos Acuña due to an issue with his left foot. Faced with this, Gallardo would opt to play with a 4-3-3 formation: Santiago Beltrán; Gonzalo Montiel, Lucas Martínez Quarta, Lautaro Rivero, Matías Viña; Kevin Castaño, Fausto Vera, Giuliano Galoppo; Juan Fernando Quintero, Sebastián Driussi, and Facundo Colidio. After facing Millonarios, River will have to face Peñarol on Saturday, January 17, starting at 10:00 PM (Argentine time).
