Thiago Almada set to debut for River against Argentinos Juniors
Following the postponement of the matches due to the Copa Sudamericana, coach Eduardo Coudet prepares the debut of the star reinforcement for the fifth match of the Clausura Tournament. The suspension of the first leg of the Copa Sudamericana quarterfinals against Independiente Santa Fe, whose reprogramming has already been confirmed by Conmebol, gave River a full week to prepare for the match against Argentinos Juniors in the fifth match of the Clausura Tournament.
In this context, coach Eduardo Coudet plans to feature Thiago Almada, who joined the training sessions on Monday and could be a starter against the Bicho. Thiago Almada was the last reinforcement to join the squad in this transfer market. After a failed negotiation with Flamengo, the club closed his arrival for 20 million euros, a record figure for Argentine football.
The player arrived in the country on Monday, the day he was presented at the Monumental and participated in his first practice with his new teammates. Initially, the player was not going to be taken into account for the match against Independiente Santa Fe. Regarding this, Eduardo Coudet stated:
“It would be unrealistic to think that Thiago could play at 2,600 meters after being on vacation”. However, the earthquake that affected Colombia forced the reprogramming of the matches for the 19th and 26th of this month, modifying the scenario for the debut of the player who emerged from Vélez's youth ranks.
Regarding the possibility of him adding his first minutes, the coach had anticipated after the defeat against Tigre:
“For Sunday, he could be ready”. With a week of preparation, it is very likely that Thiago Almada will debut on the next Sunday at 18:00, even occupying a place in the starting lineup in place of Tomás Galván.
In the practice of this Thursday, the coach will begin to outline the starting lineup. Currently, River is without points and in the last place of its zone, so it needs a win to improve its current situation and give a breather to Eduardo Coudet's cycle.
