River adds eight reinforcements but can only register five in the Sudamericana

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.

The names with the best chances and those fighting for a spot

Nicolás Otamendi and Ángel Correa, due to the specific weight of their names and their hierarchy, will almost certainly be part of the list This leaves only two spots open for five candidates: Lucas Beltrán, Rafael Santos Borré, Mauro Arambarri, Giovanni González, and Tobías Andrada.

Beltrán and Borré are leading the race. Andrada is losing ground because he arrived with some physical discomfort The two Uruguayans who arrived at Coudet's express request did not perform outstandingly in their first matches, but leaving them out could affect the rotation. In midfield, without them, only Aníbal Moreno, Fausto Vera, Tomás Galván, and the youth player Lucas Silva would remain. In the right-back position, excluding youth players, the only experienced option is Gonzalo Montiel.

There is also the case of Tobías Ramírez. He was a reinforcement from the previous market —he arrived in March under an exceptional extension from the AFA— and was also not registered for the group stage. The center-back has already received medical clearance after his right knee surgery and is fighting for a spot on the round of 16 roster.