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

River Plate and Red Bull Bragantino return to action in the Copa Sudamericana when they go head to head in a crucial matchup at the Estadio Monumental de Nunez on Thursday morning.

Top of the group with 10 points and still unbeaten in the competition, the Argentine club is enjoying an excellent spell under the command of Eduardo Coudet and can secure direct qualification to the round of 16 in front of their fans, while Bragantino arrive in Buenos Aires needing a positive result to remain alive in the race for top spot in the group.

Match preview

River Plate are enjoying an excellent campaign and sit top of Group H of the 2026 Copa Sudamericana with 10 points, having recorded three wins and one draw. In addition to their consistent continental campaign, the club also secured a place in the Torneo Apertura final, showing growing improvement under head coach Eduardo Coudet.

In their last Sudamericana outing, River Plate defeated Carabobo 2-1 in Venezuela with Maximiliano Salas netting a decisive 96th-minute winner. This came just one week after beating Bragantino 1-0 in Braganca Paulista, with Santiago Beltran saving a penalty and Lucas Martinez Quarta scoring the winning goal.

With the victory over Bragantino at the Estadio Nabi Abi Chedid, Los Millonarios reached 10 victories on Brazilian soil in CONMEBOL tournaments, matching Boca Juniors in the historical rankings.

After two consecutive games on the road, River Plate now return to the Estadio Monumental de Nunez, where they are on a three-game winning streak and have won nine of their 11 outings in all competitions since February 18.

Coudet's playing model is based on high pressing, quick transitions and attacking intensity, but the defence formed by Gonzalo Montiel, Lucas Martinez Quarta, Lautaro Rivero and Marcos Acuna has been key to their solid campaign, with two clean sheets and just two goals conceded so far.

© Iconsport / SUSA

With CONMEBOL's new tiebreaker criteria prioritising head-to-head record, Red Bull Bragantino must win in Buenos Aires to overturn the first-leg disadvantage to stay alive in the battle for first place.

Massa Bruta currently sit level on points with third-placed Carabobo and are aware that anything less than a win on Thursday will put them under pressure ahead of the decisive final group game.

Bragantino secured an emphatic 6-0 victory over Blooming in their last Sudamericana outing on May 8, but they have struggled at the defensive end of the pitch, where they have conceded four goals so far.

Vagner Mancini’s men head into Thursday’s tie fresh off the back of securing a morale-boosting result at the weekend, when they edged out Vitoria 2-0 in the Brasileirao to end their run of two back-to-back domestic defeats.

River Plate Copa Sudamericana form:

River Plate form (all competitions):

Bragantino Copa Sudamericana form:

Bragantino form (all competitions):

Team News

© Imago / PHOTOxPHOTO

River Plate remain without several players down the spine of the team, with leading scorer Sebastian Driussi ruled out through a knee injury while fellow attacker Agustin Ruberto is recuperating from a cruciate ligament tear.

In defence, Eduardo Coudet will be without Gonzalo Montiel, Paulo Diaz, Tobias Ramirez and Juan Portillo. Montiel had been one of the squad's most influential players, contributing regularly in attack, with four goals this season.

The midfield has also been hit by significant absences, as 20-year-old Giorgio Costantini continued his lengthy spell on the sidelines, while Anibal Moreno has been ruled out through a knee problem.

As for Red Bull Bragantino, Matheus Fernandes and experienced midfielder Fabinho remain sidelined, reducing the team's options for ball-winning and build-up play in central areas.

They are joined on the club’s injury table by Davi Gomes, Brazilian goalkeeper Fabricio and 26-year-old defender Guzman Rodriguez, who will also miss the trip to Buenos Aires.

River Plate possible starting lineup:

Armani; Gimenez, Pezzella, Gonzalez, Vina; Silva, Galoppo; Quintero, Meza, Subiabre; Salas

Bragantino possible starting lineup:

Volpi; Hurtado, Vinicius, Marques, Capixaba; Gabriel, Sosa; Barbosa, Herrera, Mosquera; Pitta

We say: River Plate 2-0 Bragantino

Bragantino visit the Estadio Monumental after playing four matches in 16 days, having been eliminated from the Copa do Brasil by Mirassol and beaten 2-0 by Santos in the league on May 10. River Plate come into the clash on the back of four consecutive wins in all competitions and have won nine of their last 11 Sudamericana matches at the Monumental.

The form book points to River Plate, as well as the underlying numbers, and given the gulf in quality and depth between the two teams, we are backing Coudet’s men to come away with all three points in front of their home supporters.

For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.

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