Velez Sarsfield made it to the knockouts of the continental competition courtesy of a second-place finish in Group C, while the visitors Cruised through as the Group H winners.
Two Argentine club’s Velez Sarsfield and River Plate will square off against each other in the first leg of the Copa Libertadores last-16 fixture at Estadio Jose Amalfitani on Wednesday night. The hosts Velez Sarsfield made it to the knockouts of the continental competition courtesy of a second-place finish in Group C, while the visitors Cruised through as the Group H winners. The hosts are heading into the tie on the back of a 1-1 draw at Defensa y Justicia in the domestic league match, while River Plate defeated Lanus 2-1 on Sunday.
🔙📸 Escenas frente a Vélez. 💪
🔜 Por la ida de los octavos de final de la @Libertadores 🏆#VamosRiver ⚪️❤⚪️ pic.twitter.com/e0eCKzX3xl
— River Plate (@RiverPlate) June 28, 2022
At Estadio Norberto “Tito” Tomaghello, on Sunday, Velez were involved in a thrilling end-to-end contest that saw the hosts break the deadlock through Nicolas Fernandez in the 88th minute. Just when it looked like the hosts might take all three points, Nicolas Garayalde netted a last-ditch equaliser to share the spoils. Julio Vaccari’s side hasn’t had a great domestic season so far, winning just one of their opening five games. But El Fortin 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.
River Plate, on the other hand, 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. Meanwhile Los Millonarios have made a slow start to their domestic campaign, winning just two of their opening five games to sit at the sixth spot in the points table. Those two wins were recorded in the recent outings against Union and Lanus. Against Lanus three days ago, first-half goals from Jose Paradela and Braian Romero helped River Plate secure all three points.
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Velez Sarsfield’s new signing, Uruguayan defender Diego Godin, is likely to sit out as he might need some time to settle into the team and work on his match fitness. Meanwhile central defender Lautaro Giannetti is sidelined with cruciate ligament injury. Garayalde, Perrone and Sonora are likely to form the midfield trio with Pratto leading the attack. As for River Plate, midfielder Nicolas de la Cruz should be available after picking up a knock in the previous game. Alvarez is likely to lead the attack alongside Barco and Simon.
Velez Sarsfield probable starting lineup: Hoyos; Guidara, De Los, Santos, Gomez, Ortega; Garayalde, Perrone, Sonora; Orellano, Pratto, Janson
River Plate probable starting lineup: Armani; Mammana, Diaz, Martinez, Gomez; Perez, Fernandez, Paradela; Simon, Alvarez, Barco
The Copa Libertadores match between Velez Sarsfield and River Plate will take place at Estadio Jose Amalfitani and it will kickoff at 6:00 am IST on June 30, Thursday.
Velez Sarsfield vs River Plate | Key details |
Date | June 29 |
Venue | Estadio Jose Amalfitani |
Kickoff time in India | 6:00 am (Thursday) |
Kickoff time in Argentina | 9:30 pm (Wednesday) |
The Copa Libertadores matches are televised on beIN Sports, fuboTV, Fanatiz, Sling World Sports and Vidgo