Preview: River Plate vs Monterrey - prediction, team news, lineups

Seeking to punch their ticket to the knockout rounds of the FIFA Club World Cup with a game to spare, Group E leaders River Plate lock horns with Monterrey at the Rose Bowl in California on Sunday (BST).

While the Argentine giants picked up maximum points on matchday one against Urawa Red Diamonds, their Mexican counterparts admirably held Inter Milan in their opening match of the tournament.

Match preview

Competing at the Club World Cup for the third time, River Plate made a positive start to their 2025 campaign as they held off a spirited Urawa Red Diamonds outfit to win 3-1 in Washington on Tuesday.

Facundo Colidio and Sebastian Driussi scored headers either side of half time before Yusuke Matsuo halved the deficit with a converted penalty just before the hour mark, but River Plate sealed all three points when substitute Maximiliano Meza headed home from a corner on the 73-minute mark.

While head coach Marcelo Gallardo was pleased to come away with an “important” victory, he believes that there is still room for improvement from a squad that were feeling “some nerves” heading into their opening fixture.

River Plate were given an 11% chance of topping Group E by Opta’s supercomputer, but after beating Urawa and seeing Inter held by Monterrey, the 38-time Argentine champions sit two points clear at the top of the group, knowing that a victory on Sunday will guarantee their spot in the knockout rounds.

Monterrey, who themselves were given just a 7% chance to advance pre-tournament, entered their opening fixture with Group E favourites Inter as underdogs, but they certainly held their own in Wednesday’s 1-1 draw with their Italian counterparts at the Rose Bowl.

Still going strong at 39 years of age, Sergio Ramos - a four-time Club World Cup winner with Real Madrid - opened the scoring when he powered a header in from a corner just before the half-hour mark, but Inter levelled on the stroke of half time when Lautaro Martinez tapped home from close range.

Pep Guardiola’s former assistant Domenec Torrent, who took charge of his first match as head coach, remains hopeful that his team can progress to the knockout rounds, with the Club World Cup representing a “great opportunity” for them to “show the world who Rayados are” and prove themselves against some of the world’s best sides.

Competing at their sixth Club World Cup, Monterrey sit joint-second in Group E and they realistically need to avoid defeat on Sunday if they wish to sneak into the top two; a victory against River Plate would put them in the driving seat to qualify before taking on Urawa in their final group fixture.

The five-time Mexican top-flight champions, who have also won five CONCACAF Champions League titles, have faced River Plate twice before in friendly encounters and failed to win on both occasions, losing 1-0 in January 2023 and drawing 1-1 a year later.

River Plate Club World Cup form:

W

River Plate form (all competitions):

W W W L D W

Monterrey Club World Cup form:

D

Monterrey form (all competitions):

W L W W L D

Team News

River Plate striker Driussi will be assessed ahead of kickoff after hobbling off with an ankle injury immediately after a scoring on matchday one following a collision with Urawa goalkeeper Shusaku Nishikawa.

Thirty-nine-year-old midfielder Enzo Perez was subbed out at half time with muscle discomfort and has also emerged as a doubt, while teenage forward Agustin Ruberto remains sidelined with a long-term knee injury.

The potential absence of Driussi could see Miguel Borja hand a start up front, joining Colidio and Real Madrid’s new signing Franco Mastantuono, 17, in attack, while Giuliano Galoppo or Manuel Lanzini could deputise in midfield at the expense of Perez.

As for Monterrey, veteran defender Carlos Salcedo will not be involved at the Club World Cup as he is recovering from an ACL injury.

Torrent may select an unchanged starting lineup, with Ramos, Stefan Medina and Victor Guzman linking arms in a three-man backline as Ricardo Chavez and Gerardo Arteaga operate as wing-backs.

Former Porto midfielder Oliver Torres and 11-cap Spain international Sergio Canales could both continue in the middle of the pitch, while Argentine forward Lucas Ocampos - a two-time Europa League winner with Sevilla - is set to start alongside compatriot German Berterame.

River Plate possible starting lineup:

Armani; Montiel, Martinez, Pezzella, Acuna; Castano, Galoppo, Fernandez; Mastantuono, Borja, Colidio

Monterrey possible starting lineup:

Andrada; Medina, Ramos, Guzman; Chavez, Canales, Rodriguez, Torres, Arteaga; Ocampos, Berterame

We say: River Plate 2-1 Monterrey

An entertaining yet closely-contested battle could be on the cards in California between two teams who will fancy their chances of collecting all three points. We are backing both teams to make the net ripple, but River Plate might just have the edge over their Mexican opponents on this occasion.

Written by
Oliver Thomas

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