River Plate closed the signing of Francisco Ortega and with it reached eight new additions in this transfer market The full-back will undergo a medical examination and sign a contract this Wednesday afternoon. However, this figure poses a concrete problem for the Copa Sudamericana: the club can only make five changes to its good faith list for the round of 16.
The opponent will be Independiente Santa Fe and the first leg will be played next Wednesday at 21:30 in Bogotá Three of the reinforcements will necessarily be left out of the series and can only be registered if the team advances to the quarter-finals. Eduardo Coudet will have to assess the physical and footballing condition of each player to decide who will be included and who will not.
The good news is that there will be no complications in removing players from the current list. There are 16 footballers who are no longer part of the squad because they have left the club or are sidelined at the Cantilo training ground. The coach could opt for a shorter roster —the minimum requirement is 18 outfield players and three goalkeepers— or fill the spots with youth players who were not included in the group stage.
To determine who will be left out, several factors must be considered. Marcos Acuña is suffering from a hamstring tear in his right leg. Although he aims to be ready for the first leg, his availability is not guaranteed. In this context, Francisco Ortega is emerging as one of the five registered players because River has no more natural options for the left-back position after sidelining Matías Viña.
