The first leg at Estadio Jose Amalfitani, ended 1-0 in favour of Velez Sarfield courtesy of Lucas Janson's 15th-minute goal from the penalty spot.
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River Plate will hosts Velez Sarsfield in the second leg of the Copa Libertadores round of 16 fixture at El Monumental on Wednesday. The first leg at Estadio Jose Amalfitani, ended 1-0 in favour of Velez Sarfield courtesy of Lucas Janson’s 15th-minute goal from the penalty spot. Meanwhile the two Argentine clubs are heading into the tie on the back of defeats in their respective domestic league games. The hosts suffered a 1-0 loss to Atletico Tucuman last Saturday, while River Plate lost 3-2 at Huracan last Sunday.
ES HOY. ¡VAMOS TODOS UNIDOS! ⚪️❤️⚪️ pic.twitter.com/DZQDhCdBdD
— River Plate (@RiverPlate) July 6, 2022
River Plate made it this far in the competition courtesy of some stunning performances in the Group stage. The Millionaires were one of only three teams to remain unbeaten in the group stage and secure a knockout berth. Marcelo Gallardo’s side won five of their six group games to accumulate 16 points, six more than second placed Fortaleza in Group F. Very few would have expected them to be pushed on to the back foot in the two-legged last-16 tie. In the first leg at Estadio Jose Amalfitani, Velez Sarsfield took a surprise lead in the 15th minute courtesy of a spot-kick converted by Janson and then went on to win the match. That defeat ended River Plate’s 10-game unbeaten run in the Round of 16 encounters at the Libertadores.
Velez Sarsfield, on the other hand, won two, drew two and lost two of their six group matches in the Continental stage to finish second, five points behind Group C winners Estudiantes. Last Saturday, the Fort went down to Atletico Tucuman courtesy of Manuel Capasso’s lone strike in the 18th minute. Alexander Medina, who took charge of the team in late May, has built a solid defensive unit that is hard to break down. Their defensive tactics worked very well in the first leg, as they scored early and then defended deep to hold on to the lead.
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River Plate midfielder De La Cruz is nursing an Achilles tendon injury. Alvarez, who has six scalps to his name in this year’s competition, is likely to lead the attack alongside Beltran. Perez is expected to sit in front of the back four allowing Palavecino, Paradela and Fernandez to support the attackers. As for Velez Sarsfield, opening leg tie’s goal-scorer Janson would be a key player with Castro and Pratto deployed up front. Garayalde and Perrone would pull the strings from the midfield.
River Plate probable starting lineup: Armani; Casco, Martinez, Diaz, Mammana; Perez; Palavecino, Paradela, Fernandez; Alvarez, Beltran
Velez Sarsfield probable starting lineup: Hoyos; Jara, De los Santos, Gomez, Ortega, Orellano, Garayalde, Perrone, Janson; Pratto, Castro
The Copa Libertadores Round of 16 match between River Plate and Velez Sarsfield will take place at El Monumental and it will kickoff at 6:00 am IST on July 7, Wednesday.
The Copa Libertadores matches are televised on beIN Sports, fuboTV, Fanatiz, Sling World Sports and Vidgo
