Marcelo Gallardo received worrying news just a few days before the Copa Argentina match against San Martín de Tucumán. This Monday, it was confirmed that Lucas Martínez Quarta suffered a sprain of the right medial collateral ligament during a training session and will be sidelined for between two and three weeks.
The central defender, 29 years old, will miss several important matches on River's schedule: San Martín (T) for Copa Argentina, Independiente for the Clausura, and the first leg of the Copa Libertadores round of 16 against Libertad in Paraguay. In addition, his presence against Godoy Cruz and in the return leg against the Paraguayans is also in doubt.
Martínez Quarta se pierde los próximos tres partidos
Martínez Quarta's injury adds to a long list of footballers dealing with various physical problems at a key moment in the semester.
Medical report: River's injured players
Lucas Martínez Quarta: right medial collateral ligament sprain (out for 2 to 3 weeks).
Maximiliano Salas: significant sprain of the left lateral ligament. Three weeks of recovery; doubtful for the match against Libertad.
Sebastián Driussi: ankle sprain suffered at the Club World Cup. He could return against San Martín de Tucumán.
Giorgio Constantini: fracture in the fifth metatarsal of the left foot. He has already been discharged and is spending his last days in recovery.
Agustín Ruberto: cruciate ligament rupture in February. He has approximately three months left (Gallardo requested a longer recovery to avoid future injuries).
Martínez Quarta, Salas, Driussi, Constantini y Ruberto son baja
River's important upcoming matches
El Millonario will face some tough matches in the coming days that could determine the course for the rest of the year. First, the team will play San Martín de Tucumán in the Copa Argentina round of 32 this Saturday starting at 21:10at Estadio Único Madre de Ciudades (Santiago del Estero).
One week later, on Saturday, August 9, the team will play the clásico against Independiente in Avellaneda at 18:30. For that match, Núñez's team will probably rest some players, since a few days later they will have one of the most important matches so far this year: the Copa Libertadores round of 16 match against Libertad in Paraguay (August 14 at 21:30).
