Overview
- River trails 2-1 from the first leg and must win by two goals in São Paulo to advance, while a one-goal victory would take the quarterfinal to penalties.
- Gallardo debates a back five versus a 4-3-3 and is considering Juan Carlos Portillo over Enzo Pérez as the holding midfielder, with Giuliano Galoppo available after suspension.
- Palmeiras coach Abel Ferreira rested his starters on the weekend and flagged limited recovery time as a concern ahead of Wednesday’s match.
- The return leg is set for Wednesday at 21:30 (Argentina time) at Allianz Parque, with Uruguayan Andrés Matonte refereeing and an allocation of 2,000 River fans.
- River’s build-up includes a 2-0 loss to Atlético Tucumán that ended a 15-match away unbeaten run, and a Copa Argentina quarterfinal versus Racing was confirmed for October 2 at Rosario’s Gigante de Arroyito.