Soccer-Suspensions not a concern for River Plate's Gallardo after Monterrery draw
Soccer Football - FIFA Club World Cup - Group E - River Plate v CF Monterrey - Rose Bowl Stadium, Pasadena, California, U.S. - June 21, 2025 River Plate coach Marcelo Gallardo speaks to his players REUTERS/Mike Blake
LOS ANGELES (Reuters) -River Plate coach Marcelo Gallardo is confident he can still field a team capable of defeating Inter Milan in his side's final Group E game at the Club World Cup despite losing several players due to suspension.
Gallardo saw Kevin Castano sent off in the latter stages of Saturday's 0-0 draw at the Rose Bowl with Monterrey, while yellow cards for Enzo Perez and Giuliano Galoppo mean the pair will also miss the meeting with the Italians on Wednesday in Seattle.
WHY IT'S IMPORTANT
River Plate are one of South America's most successful clubs, winning the Copa Libertadores on four occasions as well as the Intercontinental Cup in 1986.
Their draw with Monterrey means the Argentinians are level on four points with Inter Milan in Group E. The two teams are due to face off in their final group game on Wednesday.
Monterrey are third in the standings, two points behind Inter and River Plate, and a win over already-eliminated Urawa Red Diamonds from Japan could see the Mexican side climb into the qualification berths for the knockout rounds.
KEY QUOTES
River Plate coach Marcelo Gallardo: "We have some players that we're going to be missing. We, of course, had some yellow cards and there are several players who won't be able to play in the next game, so we will have to see how we organise that.
"But I see the glass as half full because, if you look at the scores, every club, every team has had it's problems. It was hard for Inter to win, it was hard for Monterrey too, so for our third game we're going to go with the best we have and we're going to be optimistic.
"Today we deserved to win. Our level was better, and for the next game we will do the same."
(Reporting by Michael Church, Editing by Sonali Paul)
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