Buenos Aires, May 16, 2026, 19:01 ART
River Plate and Rosario Central rolled out their starting elevens on Saturday ahead of the Torneo Apertura 2026’s first semifinal, with Ángel Di María leading the charge and River boss Eduardo Coudet set to face off against his old club. Kickoff at the Monumental is scheduled for 19:30 local.
It’s straightforward: whoever comes out on top books a spot in the May 24 final in Córdoba, where Argentinos Juniors or Belgrano will be waiting. One evening, one elimination, and the tight title chase gets its first shakeout.
It’s relevant now because River want to capitalize on Coudet’s March hire and grab a quick domestic final. Central, led by Di María—the headline act for a squad that’s already stirred things up in the knockouts—stand in their way. Coudet took over from Marcelo Gallardo, coming back to River after playing for them, and brings experience from prior stints managing Rosario Central and Racing Club.
Coudet goes with Santiago Beltrán between the posts for River. The back line: Gonzalo Montiel, Lucas Martínez Quarta, Lautaro Rivero, and Matías Viña. In midfield, it’s Aníbal Moreno, Fausto Vera, Tomás Galván, and Juan Cruz Meza. Up top: Facundo Colidio links with Sebastián Driussi.
Jorge Almirón lines up Rosario Central with Jeremías Ledesma in goal; the back four is Emanuel Coronel, Ignacio Ovando, Gastón Ávila, and Agustín Sández. Midfield: Vicente Pizarro, Franco Ibarra, Pol Fernández. Up front, Di María, Enzo Giménez, and Enzo Copetti. This setup favors possession, but if River open up, Central have the tools to counter fast.
Nicolás Ramírez is set to officiate, while Silvio Trucco handles VAR, the video review system for key calls. Viewers in Argentina can catch the game on ESPN Premium or TNT Sports.
River made it to the semifinal via a penalty shootout last round, then handled business at home with a 2-0 quarter-final victory. Central, on the other hand, has taken a bumpier route—TyC Sports notes Almirón’s side came in riding a streak of seven wins and one draw across eight matches ahead of this tie.
The stakes in this match aren’t just a matter of strategy. Central’s 2-1 quarter-final victory over Racing stirred up local backlash about both the officiating and the red cards, so eyes will be on Ramírez and the VAR team if the semifinal turns contentious or the scoreline narrows.
The personal factor for Coudet lingers. Back in February, Rosario Central president Gonzalo Belloso admitted he’d approached Coudet “many times” to take over as coach at Central, and said he’d feel “uncomfortable” if Coudet were to accept the River job. Now, with Coudet on the other side in a semifinal, Belloso’s words hit differently. La Página Millonaria
Di María offers Central a crucial attacking option. According to Infobae, he’s only played at the Monumental once for Rosario Central—a 2-0 defeat to River back in 2006. Since then, he’s been back plenty of times with the Argentina national team. Now, he returns as Central’s main threat up front in a domestic cup knockout.
River are still feeling the weight of recent years. As Infobae pointed out, the team hasn’t made it through a semifinal to the final since the 2019 Copa Argentina. Since then, they’ve stumbled in the semis of the Copa Libertadores, Copa de la Liga, and Copa Argentina.
If Central push through, the schedule gets brutal. Copa Libertadores on May 19, then straight into the Apertura final by May 24, and another continental fixture set for May 27. If Saturday’s match drags on, Almirón’s options will be stretched thin.
