Overview
- El Liberal published a probable River starting XI that would keep Santiago Beltrán in goal and a back four of Gonzalo Montiel, Nicolás Otamendi, Lucas Martínez Quarta and Marcos Acuña.
- The reported midfield setup would place Fausto Vera as the central midfielder with Tobías Andrada and Tomás Galván on the sides and Thiago Almada linking play to Ángel Correa and Sebastián Driussi up front.
- Ponzio has overseen three straight wins and the club aims to extend that run to stay in playoff contention.
- The coach and staff have publicly acknowledged a defensive problem of four goals conceded in three matches, all from headers, and say training is focused on improving aerial marking and set-piece defense.
- La Nación reported that River formalised Ponzio's role with a contract running through August 2027, a move that gives his short-term selection choices greater continuity.