Leonardo Ponzio is set to make his first presentation as River head coach on Sunday, August 30, 2026, when the team visits Banfield at the Estadio Florencio Sola. After only three trainings in charge, he has already picked a side that looks almost unchanged from the one that came up short against Independiente Santa Fe.
The match starts at 15.00 and will be shown by Premium, with River arriving at a moment that makes every team sheet feel bigger than usual. This is the first game of a new cycle after Eduardo Coudet's departure, and Ponzio's choices are being read as the first sign of how he wants River to settle immediately.
The squad list includes Lucas Beltrán, Mauro Arambarri, Francisco Ortega, Giovanni González and Lautaro Rivero, who had missed the return leg against Santa Fe because of a contracture. The likely lineup is Santiago Beltrán; Gonzalo Montiel, Lucas Martínez Quarta, Nicolás Otamendi, Marcos Acuña; Aníbal Moreno, Tobías Andrada; Joaquín Freitas, Thiago Almada; Ángel Correa and Sebastián Driussi.
The only adjustment from the previous lineup is the entrance of Joaquín Freitas for Tomás Galván. That leaves Ponzio with a team that keeps the same structure despite the recent setback, a sign that he is choosing continuity over a heavier shake-up for his debut.
What happens next is straightforward: River's first answer under Ponzio comes on the pitch, not in a statement. If the side looks familiar, that will be by design; if it does not, the change will be measured in one name and in the result it brings home from Banfield.
