Skip to content

Tigres vs. River Plate: Preview of the Copa Libertadores final

Ivan Villa/STR / LatinContent WO / Getty

Neither club was supposed to reach the final of the Copa Libertadores.

Tigres UANL should have suffered the expected fate of Mexican teams in South America's most prestigious competition, while River Plate never should have scrapped together enough points to progress from the group stage.

The two clubs cared not for such a script.

When Tigres hosts River at the Estadio Universitario in the first leg of the Copa Libertadores final, a wealth of players who were at other clubs when the tournament kicked off in February will be on the pitch.

Ricardo Ferretti's side suddenly features the likes of Javier Aquino, Jurgen Damm, and, most notably, Andre-Pierre Gignac. Marcelo Gallardo's side, meanwhile, possesses Javier Saviola, Lucas Alario, and Tabare Viudez. All of these footballers played elsewhere until recently and are now on the brink of a Copa Libertadores honour despite minimal contributions in the competition.

There's an aspect of ridiculousness to the way Tigres and River opened their checkbooks to stock up before the final. However, while such an approach would never be allowed to transpire in European football, the strategy is understandable.

For Tigres, the Copa Libertadores final presents an opportunity to do what Cruz Azul and Chivas Guadalajara were unable to accomplish in 2001 and 2010, respectively: become the first Mexican team to ever win the tournament.

River, on the other hand, is looking to replicate its success from the 1996 Copa Libertadores, when a youngster named Hernan Crespo scored two goals in the final to hand the club its second title.

Victory would also allow River to complete its recovery from its recent dark years, in which a prolonged period of incompetence resulted in the club's first-ever relegation in 2011.

One team will make history, and one team will fall just short of its fairy-tale ending.

The Details

First Leg

Date: Wednesday, July 29

Time: 8:00 p.m. (local time)

Venue: Estadio Universitario - San Nicolas de los Garza, Mexico

Second Leg

Date: Wednesday, August 5

Time: 10:00 p.m. (local time)

Venue: El Monumental - Buenos Aires, Argentina

Projected Lineups

Tigres (4-2-2-2): Nahuel Guzman; Israel Jimenez, Juninho, Jose Rivas, Jose Torres; Egidio Arevalo, Guido Pizarro; Jurgen Damm, Javier Aquino; Andre-Pierre Gignac, Rafael Sobis

Tigres will likely deploy a 4-2-2-2 formation after it worked like a charm in the second leg of the semifinals, when the club defeated Brazilian side Internacional 4-3 on aggregate.

Looking to get the most out of two players the club brought in to give Tigres an edge in the Copa Libertadores, Ferretti will hope Damm can control the flank and link up with Gignac in front of goal.

Damm overwhelmed left-back Geferson in the second leg of the semifinals and provided Gignac with the precision-perfect cross that resulted in the fixture's opening goal.

River Plate: (4-1-3-2): Marcelo Barovero; Gabriel Mercado, Jonatan Maidana, Ramiro Funes Mori, Leonel Vangioni; Matias Kranevitter; Carlos Sanchez, Leonardo Ponzio, Luis Gonzalez; Lucas Alario, Rodrigo Mora

There will be no surprises if River Plate takes the pitch in its usual 4-1-3-2 formation.

Back from suspension, Leonardo Ponzio will be at the heart of River's attack, playing alongside Matias Kranevitter, who will operate in a deeper position. On the right flank will be Carlos Sanchez and on the left flank will be one of Luis Gonzalez and Viudez.

River will rely on those four players in attack and try to expose gaps in Tigres' backline, something Gallardo's side could not do when the two clubs met in the group stage.

Three Questions

  1. Can River contain the likes of Tigres newcomers Aquino, Damm, and Gignac?
  2. Tigres was unquestionably the better side when the two clubs met in the group stage despite the two meetings ending in a draw. Will it be more of the same this time around?
  3. How will Gallardo utilise Viudez? Will he be included in River's starting XI or will he come on as a substitute for Gonzalez?

Prediction

When Tigres and River clashed in the group stage, the latter was lucky to escape with two draws.

Those two points proved crucial in River's escape from Group Six, but were ultimately undeserved, given how Tigres outplayed the Argentinian club - and those fixtures took place before the Mexican side acquired Aquino, Damm, and Gignac.

At the time, River struggled to deal with Joffre Guerron. As South American football expert Tim Vickery of ESPN FC points out, Guerron isn't even able to crack Tigres' starting XI as a result of the new arrivals.

Tigres 4, River Plate 2 (on aggregate)

Daily Newsletter

Get the latest trending sports news daily in your inbox