the support of his fans in a caravan and the hostile climate that awaits him in Brazil

River is preparing to face the most important games in the last five years. The series with Atlético Mineiro It is the scale prior to reaching a final of the Copa Libertadoreswith the plus that it will be played at the Monumental stadium. So, the attention of the team that leads Marcelo Gallardo is maximum. And the ‘millionaire’ delegation will travel to Belo Horizonte this Monday after morning training and lunch at the RiverCamp in Ezeiza to play the first leg this Tuesday night in Brazil. With the hope of a favorable result that will allow him to arrive in good shape for the rematch in Núñez, seven days later.

Before facing the last day of training prior to the meeting with Mineiro and getting on the plane, Gallardo received good news this Sunday: Fabricio Bustos He received a medical discharge, so he has already recovered from the tear in his right soleus and will start at the Arena MRV in Belo Horizonte.

Furthermore, among the 25 summoned there is also Gonzalo Martinez. It is the first summons for ‘Pity’ in Marcelo Gallardo’s cycle and the first since the ligament tear he suffered in his left knee in the preseason in the United States in January of this year.

River’s players and coaching staff will not be alone. They will accompany you 4 thousand souls from the River Platewhich sold out that number of tickets that Atlético Mineiro gave them. Little by little they will arrive at the capital of the State of Minas Gerais, by air and by land. Some will fly direct, others with a stopover and a large group will meet in Rio de Janeiro, from where 7 buses will departin a caravan organized by River subsidiaries in Brazil. Furthermore, in connection with those in Buenos Aires, they were trying to get a property near the stadium to have a kind of fan fest before the match.

The ‘Millionaire’ will need the energy of his people. The thing is that the Muñeco team will not have an easy task here, in Belo Horizonte. The expectation in the city is enormous. And a hostile climate awaits River. Atlético Mineiro fans sold out the tickets in a matter of minutes and the long lines around the Arena MRV for the ticket exchange reflect the excitement generated by being in the Libertadores semi-final. And at home he wants to take advantage of the home field to go to Buenos Aires with an advantage. In this context, a group of fans intends to intimidate the River players with a huge reception.

Through social networks, in recent days, a collection began to raise funds with the aim of buying 40 thousand sparklers and “hold the biggest party ever in Brazil” with this type of firework. The goal they set is to reach 20,000 reais (about 3,500 dollars) to cover all corners of the stadium and exert pressure from the stands in the quest to try to take the first step towards the dreamed final. They care little that Conmebol has sanctioned the club with 80 thousand dollars for the use of fireworks in the duel against Fluminense.

Although the South American entity is rigorous in this regard, the French fans are determined to put together a tremendous reception in a stadium where Atlético Mineiro has nine games without defeats. And they arrive emboldened after qualifying for the final of the Brazilian Cup after Saturday’s 1-1 draw against Vasco Da Gama, whom they had beaten 2-1 in the first leg. Gabriel Milito, coach of Mineiro, put all the starters.

Looking at the calendar, his team’s last defeat at the Arena MRV was against Flamengo by 4-2 at the beginning of July. Then, all good ones: Gremio, Fluminense, Bragantino, San Lorenzo, Corinthians, Vasco da Gama and San Pablo were victims of the Belo Horizonte team. Only Vitoria y Cuiabá They managed to take at least one point from a venue that became stronger as the games went by.

The amount of positive results that the local team obtains on its field can be explained by the level of difficulty that rivals find in the state of the playing field. The natural grass stadium has a big problem: the architecture of the MRV Arena blocks the entry of the sun and makes maintenance difficult, making it a difficult territory to solve for rivals who are not used to it.

To try to intimidate, Mineiro fans will not only use flares. Also, to sound amplification. The club incorporated a new audio system that was used in some important matches played by Milito’s team. And he will take the field again for the duel against River.

In recent months, the Galo leadership has been working on the installation of the “Voice Lift”. What is it about? A loudspeaker system that amplifies the ambient sound of the stadium in real time and serves to improve the acoustics of the stands. They already used it against San Lorenzo in the Libertadores and also in the last classic against Cruzeiro for the Brasileirao.

The MRV Arena is brand new. It was officially inaugurated on August 27, 2023 and has a capacity for 46 thousand spectators. And it will be the first time that River plays there, given that in 2021 when it was eliminated with Atlético Mineiro in the quarterfinals of that year’s edition, it visited Mineirao. In any case, Marcelo Gallardo’s team is already seasoned in these issues outside of football.