River and a decisive week in times of a team that leaves too many doubts

River Plate secured an important victory in Córdoba against Talleres , which allowed them to end a streak of four consecutive defeats in the Clausura, get back into the qualifying zone for the group stage of the 2026 Copa Libertadores , and start one of the most decisive weeks of the semester with ease. However, the tension in the air has not yet dissipated given that the match on Friday at 10:10 p.m., also in the Mediterranean province, against Independiente Rivadavia in the Copa Argentina semifinals is very crucial for facing the final stretch of the year.

If River Plate doesn't beat the Mendoza team, which has been sluggish in the Clausura, where it sits near the bottom of Group A, but is doing well in the Copa Argentina, the crisis will return. It's important to keep in mind that this tournament has become vital for Marcelo Gallardo and company, since achieving it would not only allow River Plate to win its first title of the second season, but would also qualify River for the next Libertadores without depending on the annual standings.

River is two games away from achieving that goal, but the team, despite Saturday's win at the Kempes, still offers no guarantees. In fact, Saturday's performance wasn't a good one, despite their effectiveness and their solid attempt to avoid setbacks.

The problem is that, with all the cards on the table, River will hardly be able to count on a good game between now and the end of the year. Gallardo tried everything, in terms of names and formations, and nothing worked. And if it's been a huge struggle for the coach to find a functioning team up until now, it's likely he won't be able to do so between now and December either.

So, River is relying on desire, drive, willpower, and playing it as simply as possible to win these key matches . As happened against Racing in Rosario, where they saw a combative team that struck from the start and then held on. Something similar was seen at the Kempes, when Núñez's team managed to take the lead and then finished the match with a counterattack in the second half, just when Talleres was making things more difficult.

Regardless of the team's performance, Gallardo took some good news from Córdoba regarding the individual players he recovered from a footballing perspective. To name a few, Gonzalo Montiel returned to his usual self , and those who came off the bench were decisive .

Milton Casco (who came on for Lautaro Rivero after a gastrointestinal problem, but has since recovered and is training normally) was in poor shape, but he provided a solution and played a very good game. Those who came on in the second half were involved in the second goal: Matías Galarza in the recovery; Facundo Colidio in the build-up, including dribbling, nutmegging, and assisting; and Maxi Meza in the finish.

Ahead of the match against Independiente Rivadavia, El Muñeco will have two key players back . Marcos Acuña (who suffered a left knee injury) and Enzo Pérez (who needed stitches in his left knee for a deep cut and then underwent conditioning after missing several days of training) are expected to be available. The World Cup-winning full-back will start, while the Mendoza native is expected to start on the bench.

It's still premature to talk about the team, but Muñeco will surely weigh in. Beyond Acuña's substitution, which will mean Rivero returning to the back line and Paulo Díaz to the substitutes' bench, he may also analyze the positions of Sebastián Driussi and Santiago Lencina, who were among the weakest at the Kempes on Saturday, especially the striker, whom Gallardo demanded a lot from with his instructions from the substitutes' bench.

River has already won a match it needed to win in Córdoba, and now it's going for another victory at the same venue that will give it more vitality.