River, in the last match of Martín Demichelis as coach because it was announced that he is stepping down, hosts Sarmiento de Junín this Sunday at the Monumental stadium with referee Nazareno Arasa for the eighth round of the Liga Profesional 2024.
The match starts at 18:30 and will be broadcast live on ESPN Premium, which can also be tuned in on digital platforms Flow, DGO, and Telecentro Play (a “football package” subscription is required). Additionally, on Canchallena, you can follow the live minute by minute with updated information and statistics.
The Millionaire is going through a complex present, and after the harsh defeat against Godoy Cruz and leading up to the match against the Green from Junín, the club announced that Demichelis is bidding farewell to his position after this Sunday’s match. The statement specified that it was “by mutual agreement,” despite the fact that the coach had expressed his “strength” to reverse a reality that, although not the best, is also not alarming, even though he has yet to win in the second semester (one draw and one loss). It is true that he was eliminated prematurely from the 2024 Copa Argentina against Temperley, but the club has the round of 16 of the Copa Libertadores vs. Talleres ahead, which he qualified for as the best team in the first stage, precisely under the former defender, and made a risky decision.
The Buenos Aires team is currently in tenth place in the Liga Profesional standings with 10 points, resulting from three wins, three losses, and one draw, and needs to add points to avoid falling behind in the title race. The last starting lineup of ‘Micho’ includes most of the players he trusted in the two matches since the resumption of the tournament, with Franco Armani in goal, defenders Paulo Díaz and Federico Gattoni; midfielders Felipe Peña Biafore and Franco Mastantuono; and forward Miguel Borja.
The current opponent, for its part, is positioned 12th in the standings with the same number of points as the team from Núñez, Gimnasia de La Plata (both are above in the classification) and Atlético Tucumán. So far, they have also won three matches, lost three, and drawn one. They come off a surprising victory by defeating Racing by a narrow margin with a goal from Ezequiel Naya, and with a lively coach like Israel Damonte at the helm, they are optimistic about dealing a hard blow to their rival at the Monumental and making history.
Possible lineups
On the main sports betting platforms around the world, River Plate has a wide advantage to win this Sunday’s match. In case they achieve this, betting houses pay odds of up to 1.36 compared to the 8.20 that would be paid for a hypothetical victory by Sarmiento. A draw, on the other hand, is priced around 4.85.
The last time they faced each other was in March 2023 in Junín for that year’s Liga Profesional, and the River Plate team won 2 to 0.
LA NACION