Wed Sep 24 23:50:00 UTC 2025: ## River Plate Faces Palmeiras in High-Stakes Copa Libertadores Quarterfinal Showdown

**Sao Paulo, Brazil -** All eyes are on the Allianz Parque tonight as River Plate takes on Palmeiras in the second leg of their Copa Libertadores quarterfinal clash. The match, kicking off at 21:30 Argentina, Brazil, Uruguay, and Paraguay time (20:30 Paraguay, Venezuela, Bolivia, and Miami), will be broadcast on Fox Sports, Telefe, and streamed via Disney+.

River Plate’s players have already arrived at the stadium and are undergoing their warm-up routines on the synthetic pitch. Manager Marcelo Gallardo has named his starting XI: Franco Armani; Gonzalo Montiel, Lucas Martínez Quarta, Lautaro Rivero, Marcos Acuña; Giuliano Galoppo, Juan Portillo, Kevin Castaño; Nacho Fernández, Juanfer Quintero; and Maximiliano Salas.

Palmeiras manager Abel Ferreira is sticking with the same lineup that featured in the first leg: Weverton; Khellven, Gustavo Gómez, Murilo, Joaquín Piquerez; Lucas Evangelista, Aníbal Moreno; Andreas Pereira, José Manuel López, Felipe Anderson; and Vitor Roque.

River Plate will be looking to capitalize on Palmeiras’ recent struggles at home in Copa Libertadores knockout stages. The Brazilian side hasn’t won at home in a knockout tie for seven matches, last securing a victory against Cerro Porteño in July 2022. These seven matches have all ended in draws, with Palmeiras being eliminated in three of these occasions.

The victor of this match will face the winner of the Liga de Quito vs. Sao Paulo quarterfinal in the semifinals. Liga de Quito holds a 2-0 advantage from the first leg, with the return leg taking place this Thursday.

Racing Club has already secured their spot in the semifinals, eliminating Vélez Sarsfield with a 2-0 aggregate score. They will face either Estudiantes or Flamengo in the next round.

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