River Plate will meet Gimnasia de La Plata on Wednesday night at the Monumental with Eduardo Coudet still weighing two changes after Tuesday afternoon’s training session showed a possible reshuffle for the Torneo Apertura 2026 quarterfinals.
Juan Fernando Quintero is set to replace Maxi Meza, while Coudet also tested Juan Cruz Meza in place of Tomás Galván and Germán Pezzella for Lautaro Rivero. If Pezzella starts, Lucas Martínez Quarta would likely move into the center of defense. The match will begin at 21.30 and will be broadcast live on Premium, while La Página Millonaria will also follow it minute by minute on its YouTube channel and website.
The probable lineup points to Santiago Beltrán in goal, with Gonzalo Montiel, Lucas Martínez Quarta, Lautaro Rivero or Germán Pezzella, and Marcos Acuña across the back line. Aníbal Moreno and Fausto Vera would sit in midfield, with Quintero or Maxi Meza and Tomás Galván or Juan Cruz Meza ahead of them. Facundo Colidio is expected to keep his place alongside Sebastián Driussi in attack.
The stakes are immediate for River. After the team’s elimination to San Lorenzo on penalties, this knockout tie has become the next chance to stay alive in the title race. That makes the meeting with Gimnasia more than a routine quarterfinal: it is the point where River must show that the setback did not knock it off course.
What Coudet chose in training suggests he is looking for a balance between control and response. Quintero’s likely return adds a different passing rhythm, while the possible switch between Pezzella and Rivero changes the shape of the back line. The decisions matter because there is no margin for a slow start on Wednesday night, especially in a one-off playoff round at the Monumental.
The final call will come on match day, but Tuesday’s session made the picture clear enough. River Plate enters River Plate - Gimnasia with the pressure of a recent elimination, the advantage of home, and a coach still testing whether two changes are enough to carry the team through to the next round.
