who are the references of River and Boca that will collide at the Monumental

The axioms in football are many and sometimes antagonistic to each other, which is why it is advisable to take them lightly. There is one that says that the classics are played with the experienced, with the “men”. And if the maxim has any validity, the coach Martin Demichelis has someone to rely on: between Franco Armani, Milton Casco e Ignacio Fernandezthree who were in the final of the 2018 Copa Libertadores de América, have accumulated 46 Superclásicos.

Franco Armani will be the starter and captain on Sunday at the Monumental. Fans like him will applaud him every time he plays in Núñez because he became an idol for the titles and for his performances against the eternal rival. El Pulpo played 15 games in River contra Boca: won 7, tied 5 and lost 3; They scored 10 goals and kept a clean sheet on 7 occasions. He was vital in the Libertadores de Madrid and also in the Argentine Super Cup playing in Mendoza in March 2018.

Another one that will be there from the beginning is Ignacio Fernandez, which is showing a higher level than last season. It remains to be determined where Nacho will play, as he performs better when he moves lying down on the right. Last day, against Banfield, Demichelis placed him as a second striker and he had a hard time finding his footing. What are the 34-year-old midfielder’s numbers against Boca? Won 6, drew 4 and lost 3; He scored a goal (Copa Libertadores 2019), provided 3 assists and was sent off once.

The rest of the references, Milton Casco, will occupy a place on the substitutes’ bench. The 35-year-old defender, who started in both of last year’s classics, has already recovered from meniscal surgery on his right knee and will be an alternative for both the right back (Herrera) and the left (Díaz). The statistics against Xeneize also smile on Chanchi: he won 7, drew 6 and lost 5.

But Armani, Fernández and Casco are not the only survivors from Madrid on the squad: Gonzalo Martinez, in rehabilitation from the rupture of the anterior cruciate ligament in his left knee, scored the third at the Bernabéu, and substitute goalkeeper Ezequiel Centurión was part of the delegation in Spain. More: Demichelis’s assistants, Germán Lux and Javier Pinolathey also raised that Libertadores.

The defender deserves a special section Ramiro Funes Mori: He never lost against Boca in the 8 games he played (won 4 and tied 4; scored a header goal in the 2-1 draw in the 2014 Bombonera).

Boca appears for River. And Demichelis knows that he has “chieftains” with whom to face the duel.

References are usually key in these types of meetings. And if the Superclásico is a duel with great pressure, it is much more enhanced when the situation is not favorable. So, it is no coincidence that Diego Martínez is thinking about a team with a high average age to play at the Monumental. Beyond the young people who will be among the headlines, it is a game for long-time footballers.

In this context, there are some who have the thorn in the side of the last two Superclásicos. Last year, without going any further, River won both classics. It was 1 to 0 at the Monumental, on May 7, with a penalty goal from Miguel Borja, and 2 to 0 at the Bombonera, on October 1, with a shout from Salomón Rondón and another from Enzo Díaz. If the trainings are reviewed, Only one player who started in both games has a guaranteed position for this Sunday: Sergio Romero.

The goalkeeper who turned 37 this Thursday is one of the leaders of the locker room. Nicolas Valentini He also played up front in both losses, but this weekend he will go to the bench. Christian Medina He started in the first and came off the bench in the second. Equi Fernandez he was a substitute on both occasions; He also entered and was expelled in Núñez. Lucas Blondel and Ezequiel Bullaude They were the game in the last duel and could repeat now. Luis Advíncula he played in May, but not in October. Miguel Merentiel He entered the one-on-one match played in Núñez and also received the red card. Dario Benedetto He played as a “9” in La Bombonera and has a chance to make the team this time.

And if it comes to Pipa, he still carries a debt from the clash in Madrid. Perhaps he will be the player who will experience the Superclásico with the greatest tension. For the recent past, but also for everything he generated further back. In practice this Thursday, he shared the attack with Luca Gate. Then they played Edinson Cavani y Merentiel.

The coexistence between the two “9” worked against Tigre –Pipa and the Beast-, both scored goals. Will it be repeated against River? The Uruguayans played the last part of the game with Lanús. Today, Edi’s level is far from reliable.

Afterwards, we will have to see who gets in from the start: Advíncula, Lema, Figal, Blanco appears as the defense. Although Diego Martínez also tried with Weigandt, Anselmino, Valentini, Saracchi. In the middle he stopped Blondel, Campuzano, Bullaude and Zenón on one side and Saralegui, Medina, Equi and Fabra on the other.

The coach, who is facing his first River-Boca, does not want to show his cards.