River Plate and Excursionistas are set to face each other at The Elephant Graveyard in Santa Fe on Wednesday in the opening round of Copa Argentina.
River were by far the best-performing team in Argentina over 2023, and that trend has continued in 2024 as they have kick-started the first phase of the new season in dominant fashion, with two wins and a draw from their opening three games.
However, Martin Demichelis' defending champions underwhelmed in the Copa de La Liga and Copa Libertadores last term, something they will be looking to improve upon this time around.
Excursionistas, meanwhile, won promotion from Primera C - the fourth-tier of the Argentine football pyramid - on the knife edge at the end of last term, finishing above second-placed San Martin de Burzaco only due to better goal differential.
Here, GOAL brings you everything you need to know about how to watch, including TV channel, streaming details and more.
River Plate vs Excursionistas kick-off time
| Date: | Wednesday, February 7, 2024 |
| Kick-off time: | 7:45 pm ET /4:45 pm PT |
| Venue: | Brigadier General Estanislao López Stadium |
The match will be played at the Brigadier General Estanislao Lopez Stadium, popularly known as The Elephant Graveyard, is a football stadium in Santa Fe, Argentina, on Wednesday, with kick-off at 7:45 pm ET/4:45 pm PT for fans in the US.
How to watch River Plate vs Excursionistas online - TV channels & live streams
The match will be shown live on Fubo in the US. Match highlights will be available on the platform after the game and live updates can be found here on GOAL.
If you are abroad, you may need to use a virtual private network (VPN) to watch games using your usual streaming service. A VPN, such as NordVPN, allows you to establish a secure connection online when streaming. If you are unsure which VPN to use, check out GOAL's guide to the best VPNs for streaming sports.
Team news & squads
River Plate team news
Despite being by far the most consistent team in Argentina in the embryonic stage of the new season, there is probably more dread surrounding the club than hope going forward. River Plate have lost Uruguayan international Nicolás de la Cruz, who was voted Argentine league player of the season last year.
Veterans Ignacio Fernández and Franco Armani are past their best. Club legend Enzo Pérez has moved to Estudiantes de La Plata, while they have also seen forwards Salomón Rondón and Lucas Beltrán depart the club in what has been a major upheaval at the club in the last six months or so.
River Plate predicted XI: Armani; Herrera, Pírez, P. Díaz, E. Díaz; Fonseca, N. Fernández, Aliendro; Borja, Colidio, Barco
| Position | Players |
|---|---|
| Goalkeepers: | Armani, Centurión, Lavagnino |
| Defenders: | Díaz, Boselli, Funes Mori, Martínez, Casco, González Pírez, Díaz, Herrera, Sant'Anna, Zabala |
| Midfielders: | Echeverri, Lanzini, Solari, Barco, Fernández, Martinez, Simón, Palavecino, Villagra, Kranevitter, Aliendro, Fonseca, Leiva, Luna |
| Forwards: | Borja, Ruberto, Subiabre, Colidio, Subiabre |
Excursionistas team news
Excursionistas will be looking to claim a Copa Argentina scalp this midweek as they make the trip to the Elephant Graveyard to take on 38-time Primera Division champions River, and head coach Juan Carlos Kopriva will have a full-strength squad at his disposal to cause arguably the biggest giant-killing in Argentina football history in recent times.
Excursionistas predicted XI: Cajal; Barrios, Maizarez, Monzon, Figueroa; Siena, Portillo; Barrionuevo, Zoratti, Puleio; Fernández
| Position | Players |
|---|---|
| Goalkeepers: | Minaglia, Cajal |
| Defenders: | Barrios, Piedra, Quiero, Pedraza |
| Midfielders: | Balbachán, Tabone, Fernández, Zarco, Billordo, Figueroa, Peralta, Romero |
| Forwards: | Villagra, Martínez, Albornoz, Luján |
Head-to-Head Record
This will be the first time these teams face each other for the Copa Argentina.