League log leaders River Plate will welcome season-long bottom-half strugglers, Instituto in a lop-sided Argentine Primera Division contest at Estadio Monumental on Thursday.
Los Millonarios are sovereign leaders in the league standings after 20 rounds of the competition, sitting seven points above second-placed Talleres de Cordoba.
The hosts are riding on a three-game winning streak in the league, and are in fine form ever since beating Brazilian heavyweights Fluminense in a crucial Copa Libertadores tie to leapfrog into second place ahead of the final fixture in Group D.
Regardless, Martin Demichelis' side will look to capitalise on a nice opportunity to further extend the gap at the top of the table here.
Instituto, on the other hand, are in danger of slipping closer to the bottom end of the table. Currently languishing in 21st place, they could drop to as low as 23rd place if they lose to River and results elsewhere go against them.
Here GOAL brings you everything you need to know about how to watch, including TV channel, streaming details and more.
River Plate vs Instituto kick-off time
| Date: | June 22 |
| Kick-off time: | 6:45 pm EST/ 3:45 pm PST |
| Venue: | Estadio Jorge Luis Hirschi |
The match between River Plate and Instituto will kick off at 6:45 pm EST/ 3:45 pm PST at the Estadio Jorge Luis Hirschi.
How to watch River Plate vs Instituto online - TV channels & live streams
 | Paramount+ | Watch here |
 | Fanatiz | Watch here |
 | ViX+ | Watch here |
The game will be broadcast live on TV on Fanatiz and available to stream live online through Paramount+ and ViX+.
Team news & squads
River Plate team news
River Plate will be without the services of a host of long-term absentees for this game, including the likes of Bruno Zuculini (ACL), David Martinez (knee), Enzo Diaz (knee) and Enzo Perez (knee).
Demichelis is likely to field a 4-1-3-2 formation which has served them well in recent times. Having said that, continental action could have an impact on team selection here.
Nicolas de la Cruz, who scored the match-winning goal in River's 1-0 victory over Defensa y Justicia last time out, could be rested for this clash, with Ignacio Fernandez likely to take his starting spot in midfield.
Lucas Beltran, the club's top scorer, has been in excellent scoring form lately, with three goals in his last three outings, and he will be counted upon to provide goals up top alongside Pablo Solari.
River Plate possible XI: Armani; Herrera, Rojas, Pirez, E. Diaz; Aliendro; Simon, Fernandez, Barco; Solari, Beltran.
| Position | Players |
|---|---|
| Goalkeepers: | Armani, Centurion |
| Defenders: | Herrera, Casco, E. Diaz, Gonzalez Pirez, P. Diaz, Mammana |
| Midfielders: | Perez, De La Cruz, Kranevitter, Fernandez, Simon, Barco, Aliendro, Palavecino, Paradela, Echeverri |
| Forwards: | Beltran, Solari, Rondon, Borja, Alfonso |
Instituto team news
Instituto boss Lucas Bovaglio have a clean bill of health to select from and is not expected to make a plethora of alterations to his team that played out a 1-1 draw against Racing Club last time out.
The visitors are expected to set-up in a 4-1-3-2 system, mirroring River's usual formation in the process.
The front-two of Adrian Martinez and Santiago Rodriguez will pose a significant goal-scoring threat, especially the former, who is La Gloria's top-scorer this season with seven goals so far.
Instituto possible XI: Roffo; Franco, Mosevich, Alarcon, Corda; Linares; Graciani, Watson, Lodico; S. Rodriguez, Martinez.
| Position | Players |
|---|---|
| Goalkeepers: | Roffo, Carranza |
| Defenders: | Franco, Mosevich, Alarcon, Corda, Cerato, Parnisari, Varela, Bay, Garrido |
| Midfielders: | Bochi, Linares, Graciani, Watson, Lodico, Barrientos, Cuello, G. Rodriguez |
| Forwards: | S. Rodriguez, Martinez, A. Rodriguez |
Head-to-Head Record
It has been six years since these two teams last faced off each other, and River Plate won 4-1 in the last 32 round of the Copa Argentina.
| Date | Match | Competition |
|---|---|---|
| 08/07/2022 | River Plate 4-1 Instituto | Copa Argentina |
| 01/27/2022 | River Plate 1-2 Instituto | Argentina Primera Division |
| 08/26/2021 | Instituto 0-0 River Plate | Argentina Primera Division |