River vs. Lanús: Date and Time Confirmed for Torneo Clausura Round of 16 Match

The Scheduling Dispute

River initially sought to move the match to Friday, November 20, Perfil reported. The request aimed to avoid a lengthy competitive break after 15 to 18 days without an official fixture since playing Aldosivi on November 5, according to Clarin.

Club officials said that a similar three-week layoff during the previous FIFA window negatively affected team performance, referencing a 21-day period without activity between September 19 and October 10 prior to facing Estudiantes de Río Cuarto. To maintain rhythm during the break, the team scheduled an informal friendly match against Gimnasia on Saturday morning at the Camp.

On Saturday, November 21, Boca Juniors is scheduled to play the Copa Sudamericana final against Atlético Mineiro in Barranquilla, Clarins reported. Although River and Lanús initially reached an agreement to play on Monday, November 23, at 19:00 at the Monumental, the Liga Profesional ultimately confirmed the Sunday timeslot.

Lanús president Nicolás Russo commented on River’s initial preference for Friday during an interview with Radio La Red, Perfil reported.

“Con River podés jugar el domingo o el viernes. Tengo entendido que ellos quieren hacerlo el viernes porque al día siguiente juega Boca y no quieren que el partido o el resultado de la final en Barranquilla les altere los ánimos,” said Nicolás Russo, president of Lanús, Perfil reported.”

Lanús Faces Travel Constraints and Player Call-Ups

Lanús opposed an earlier Friday fixture due to international travel constraints, Clarins reported. Forward Allan Wlk, the team’s semester goalscorer with four goals, was called up by Paraguay coach Gustavo Alfaro for FIFA friendlies in Asia against Singapore and Japan, Olé reported.

The fixtures take place in Singapore, with the match against Singapore scheduled for Friday at 9:00 and the game against Japan set for next Tuesday at 10:00. Given the long journey involving stopovers, the 23-year-old former Olimpia player was estimated to return to Argentina between late Wednesday and early Thursday, making a Friday appearance unviable, Olé reported.

Russo emphasized the agreement concerning clubs releasing players to national teams, Perfil reported.

“Se explicó que los equipos que tengan jugadores convocados a sus selecciones van a contar con más días de descanso, porque regresan muy sobre la fecha. Entiendo que se va a cumplir lo que se habló,” said Russo, Perfil reported.”

For River, whose players called up to the Argentina national team faced no major travel strain and were set to rejoin the squad on Wednesday the 18th, the Sunday schedule gives technical staff additional time to recover injured players under Leonardo Ponzio, TyC Sports reported.

The squad aims to recover Fausto Vera, Aníbal Moreno, Juan Cruz Meza, and Juan Carlos Portillo ahead of the knockout fixture, TyC Sports reported, with Portillo potentially featuring in a Saturday morning closed-door friendly against Gimnasia La Plata at the Monumental following a nine-month layoff from a severe knee injury.

Match Schedule Confirmation

The Liga Profesional confirmed the complete round of 16 schedule, placing the match at the Estadio Monumental for Sunday, November 22, at 19:00 local time.

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