Eduardo Coudet began his cycle as River Plate coach and already knows he will not be able to count on at least four players for his debut against Huracán, scheduled for March 12 in Parque Patricios. Franco Armani, Germán Pezzella, and Maximiliano Meza are ruled out due to injuries, while Juan Fernando Quintero is a doubt and is unlikely to be fit. In contrast, Giuliano Galoppo has been given the green light and will be available for the first match of the new cycle. "Chacho" conducted his first training session at the Ezeiza facility on Wednesday after his official presentation and began to outline the team that will visit El Globo at Tomás Adolfo Ducó stadium. The coach will have just over a week to prepare for the match, although he must do so with several key absences that are conditioning the team's formation. Two of these setbacks date back to last season: Germán Pezzella is in the final stages of recovery from a left knee anterior cruciate ligament rupture, and the medical staff estimates he could be called up again by late March. On the other hand, Maximiliano Meza is also continuing his rehabilitation after suffering an avulsion of the left patellar tendon in the last Superclásico against Boca, and since that joint had already been operated on after the Club World Cup, the club decided to proceed with caution and projects his return for mid-April. Armani will also not be available as the goalkeeper has only played 45 minutes this year, is undergoing a specific treatment to strengthen his right calf, and must resolve Achilles tendinitis, so the minimum recovery period is around three weeks, and Santiago Beltrán will continue as the starter. The only unknown remains Juan Fernando Quintero, as the Colombian suffered a grade I right hamstring tear against Vélez and will arrive with a very tight recovery window.
