The 2019–20 season was River Plate's 9th consecutive season in the top division of Argentine

football Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kicking a ball to score a goal. Unqualified, the word ''football'' normally means the form of football that is the most popular where the word is used. Sports commonly c ...

. In addition to the

Primera División Primera may refer to * Nissan Primera, a car * Primera Air, a former airline * Primera división (disambiguation), multiple top division football leagues * Primera, Texas, a town in Cameron County, Texas * Alí Primera, Venezuelan musician, compos ...

, the club competed in the

Copa Argentina The Copa Argentina (English: ''Argentine Cup''), officially known as the "Copa Argentina AXION energy" due to sponsorship reasons, is an official football cup competition organized by the Argentine Football Association (AFA), with the aim of qual ...

Copa de la Superliga The Copa de la Superliga Argentina was an Argentine cup competition. It was contested by all the teams participating in the Primera División, and played after the conclusion of the regular season. The 2019 edition was sponsored by YPF, with its ...

and

Copa Libertadores The CONMEBOL Libertadores, also known as the Copa Libertadores de América ( pt, Copa Libertadores da América), is an annual international club football competition organized by CONMEBOL since 1960. It is the highest level of competition in S ...

. The season covers the period from 1 July 2019 to 30 June 2020.

Review

Pre-season

Zacarías Morán agreed a loan move to

Chacarita Juniors Club Atlético Chacarita Juniors (usually known simply as Chacarita) is an Argentine football club headquartered in Villa Crespo, Buenos Aires, while the stadium is located in Villa Maipú, General San Martín Partido of Greater Buenos Aires. ...

on 18 June 2019. Maximiliano Velazco's loan with

Defensores de Belgrano Club Atlético Defensores de Belgrano (usually known as Defensores de Belgrano) is an Argentine sports club from Nuñez, Buenos Aires. The club is mostly known for its football team, which currently plays in Primera Nacional, the regionalised sec ...

, which was set to expire on 30 June, was extended on 20 June.

Camilo Mayada Camilo Sebastián Mayada Mesa (born 8 January 1991) is a Uruguayan professional footballer who plays as a full-back and midfielder for Primera División Paraguaya club Libertad. Club career A youth academy graduate of Danubio, Mayada made his ...

headed to Mexico with

Atlético San Luis Club Atlético de San Luis, commonly known as Atlético San Luis, is a Mexican professional football club based in San Luis Potosí, replacing San Luis Potosí's Liga MX team San Luis FC after its relocation. San Luis was promoted to Liga MX i ...

on 22 June. River Plate toured the United States for pre-season, with the first match being played on 27 June against

Ventura County Fusion Ventura County Fusion is an American soccer team based in Ventura, California, United States. Founded in 2006, the team plays in USL League Two, the fourth tier of the American Soccer Pyramid. The team plays its home games in the stadium on the ...

at the

Wallis Annenberg Stadium Wallis Annenberg Stadium is a soccer-specific stadium located on the campus of University of California, Los Angeles. The stadium is home to the UCLA Bruins men's and women's soccer programs, and replaced Drake Stadium as the home venue for the ...

Los Angeles Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the world' ...

as they ran out 5–0 winners; with Lucas Beltrán netting twice. On that same day, Héctor Martínez departed on loan to

Defensa y Justicia Club Social y Deportivo Defensa y Justicia, commonly known as Defensa y Justicia, is an Argentine football club from Florencio Varela, Buenos Aires, established in 1935.

. Their second friendly took place on 28 June, as they scored five again after defeating

Guadalajara Guadalajara ( , ) is a metropolis in western Mexico and the capital of the list of states of Mexico, state of Jalisco. According to the 2020 census, the city has a population of 1,385,629 people, making it the 7th largest city by population in Me ...

Liga MX The Liga MX, officially known as the Liga BBVA MX for sponsorship reasons, is the top professional football division in Mexico, holding 2 tournaments per year. The league is considered the strongest in North America, and among the strongest in a ...

in game one of the Colossus Cup. 29 June saw Alexander Barboza go to Independiente. Numerous loans from the previous campaign officially expired on and around 30 June. River met Ventura County Fushion of

USL League Two USL League Two (USL2), formerly the Premier Development League (PDL), is a semi-professional developmental soccer league sponsored by United Soccer Leagues in the United States and Canada, forming part of the United States soccer league syste ...

for a secondary match-up on 4 July, with Jorge Carrascal scoring four times in a 7–0 victory. Luciano Lollo was loaned to Banfield on 6 July. On matchday two of the Colossus Cup, River beat another Mexican team in América with goals from Julián Álvarez and Cristian Ferreira.

July

Gimnasia y Esgrima (M) were defeated in the

R32 on 16 July, though it took a 4–5 penalty shoot-out win to do so. Carlos Auzqui went off on loan to

Lanús Lanús () is the capital of Lanús Partido, Buenos Aires Province in Argentina. It lies just south of the capital city Buenos Aires, in the Greater Buenos Aires metropolitan area. The city has a population of 212,152 (), and the Partido de Lan� ...

on 17 July. On 23 July, River Plate met Brazilian club Cruzeiro in the first leg of a

round of sixteen encounter, as the two played out a goalless draw at Estadio Monumental. River travelled to

Argentinos Juniors Asociación Atlética Argentinos Juniors is an Argentine sports club based in La Paternal, Buenos Aires. The club is mostly known for its football team, which currently plays in the Argentine Primera División, and was recognized as one of the ...

in game one of the 2019–20 Primera División, subsequently coming away with a point. On 30 July, after they again drew 0–0 with Cruzeiro in the Copa Libertadores, River Plate advanced to the next round following a penalty shoot-out victory.

August

On 1 August,

Joaquín Arzura Joaquín Arzura (born 18 May 1993) is an Argentine professional footballer who plays as a defensive midfielder for Quilmes. Club career Arzura was a part of Tigre's youth academy until 2013, but made his senior debut in Copa Argentina on 29 Nove ...

headed out on loan to

Huracán Huracan (; es, Huracán; myn, Hunraqan, "one legged"), often referred to as ''U Kʼux Kaj'', the "Heart of Sky", is a Kʼicheʼ people, Kʼicheʼ Maya mythology, Maya god of wind, storm, fire and one of the creator deities who participated in ...

. Hours later, River announced their first signing of the new campaign as Paulo Díaz arrived from Al-Ahli of the

Saudi Professional League The Saudi Pro League (SPL for short) ( ar, دوري المحترفين السعودي, link=no, ''Dawriyy al-Muḥtarifayni as-Suʿūdī''), known as the Roshn Saudi League (RSL for short) for sponsorship reasons, is the top division of associat ...

. River built upon their point on the opening day in the Primera División over Argentinos Juniors with a 3–0 win versus

on 4 August on home soil. Alan Marcel Picazzo joined

Villa Dálmine Club Villa Dálmine is an Argentine football club from Campana, Buenos Aires Province. The team currently plays in Primera B Nacional, the second level of the Argentine football league system. Due to a financial crisis, the club was named "Club A ...

on loan on 8 August. River beat

All Boys Club Atlético All Boys () is an Argentine sports club based in Floresta, Buenos Aires. The institution is mostly known by its football team, which currently plays in the Primera B Nacional, the second division of the Argentine football league s ...

7–0 and 5–1 in friendlies on 9 August, with

Matías Suárez Matías Ezequiel Suárez (; born 9 May 1988) is an Argentine professional footballer who plays for River Plate as a forward. Club career Club Atlético Belgrano Suárez started his professional career at Club Atlético Belgrano in 2006. He wa ...

netting a hat-trick in the former while

Ignacio Scocco Ignacio "Nacho" Martín Scocco (; born 29 May 1985) is an Argentine retired professional footballer who last played as a forward for Newell's Old Boys. He has also played for clubs in Mexico, Greece, the United Arab Emirates, England and Brazil ...

scored a brace in the latter. 10 August saw Santiago Vera leave River Plate, as the midfielder agreed terms on a move to

Paraguayan Primera División The División Profesional de la Asociación Paraguaya de Fútbol (; "Professional Division of the Paraguayan Football Association"), also known as the Primera División (; "first division"), or due to sponsorship reasons Copa de Primera TIGO-Vis ...

outfit Olimpia.

Colo-Colo Club Social y Deportivo Colo-Colo () is a Chilean professional football club based in Macul, Santiago. Founded in 1925 by David Arellano they play in the Chilean Primera División, from which they have never been relegated. The team has played ...

revealed the loan signing of Iván Rossi on 13 August. River, for the first time since 1962, put six goals past reigning champions

Racing Club Racing Club may refer to: Football * Racing Club Abidjan, Ivory Coast * K.R.C. Genk, Belgium * Racing Club Bafoussam, Cameroon * Racing Club Beirut, Lebanon * Racing Club de Avellaneda, Argentina * Racing Club Haïtien, Haiti * Racing Club Port ...

away from home in the league on 17 August. River Plate defeated

Cerro Porteño Club Cerro Porteño is a professional Paraguayan football club, based in the neighbourhood of Obrero in Asunción. Founded in 1912, Cerro has won 34 Primera División titles and is one of the most popular football clubs in Paraguay. Its presi ...

in the first leg of a Copa Libertadores quarter-final on 22 August, winning 2–0 after Ignacio Fernández and

Rafael Santos Borré Rafael Santos Borré Maury (born 15 September 1995) is a Colombian professional footballer who plays as a forward for Bundesliga club Eintracht Frankfurt and the Colombia national team. Succeeding his early career with Deportivo Cali, Borré s ...

netted spot-kicks. River's first league loss came three days later, as Talleres won at the

Estadio Monumental Antonio Vespucio Liberti Estadio Monumental (), officially Estadio Mâs Monumental for sponsorship reasons, On 29 August, River progressed to the Copa Libertadores semi-finals after beating Paraguayan side Cerro Porteño 3–1 on aggregate, having drawn 1–1 in the second leg in

Asunción Asunción (, , , Guarani: Paraguay) is the capital and the largest city of Paraguay. The city stands on the eastern bank of the Paraguay River, almost at the confluence of this river with the Pilcomayo River. The Paraguay River and the Bay of ...

September

River opened September with a

Superclásico Superclásico is the football match in Argentina between Buenos Aires rivals Boca Juniors and River Plate. It derives from the Spanish usage of "clásico" to mean derby, with the prefix "super" used as the two clubs are the most popular and su ...

at home to

Boca Juniors Club Atlético Boca Juniors () is an Argentine sports club headquartered in La Boca, a neighbourhood of Buenos Aires. The club is mostly known for its professional football team which, since its promotion in 1913, has always played in the A ...

, which ended drawn after no goals were scored. On 22 September, they got their second loss of the season, losing 2-1 at home to Vélez Sarsfield. They ended the month with a 2-0 victory against Gimnasia.

October

On the first day of October, River beat rivals Boca in a tense first leg of the Libertadores semi-finals 2-0 with goals from Borre and Fernandez. Ten days later, they beat Primera Nacional club

Almagro Almagro () may refer to: People *Diego de Almagro (1475–1538), Spanish explorer *Diego Almagro II (1520–1542), assassin of Spanish conquistador Francisco Pizarro *Luis Almagro (born 1963), Uruguayan lawyer, diplomat and politician *Nicolás ...

in the Copa Argentina quarter-final, then followed this up with a 3-3 draw against Arsenal. On 22 October, River lost the second leg of the Libertadores semi-finals against Boca 1-0, but progressed to the final 2-1 on aggregate. River ended the month with a 2-1 victory against Colon.

November

On 14 November, River beat Primera Nacional club and fellow Buenos Aires club

Estudiantes de Buenos Aires Club Atlético Estudiantes, usually called Estudiantes de Caseros or Estudiantes de Buenos Aires, is an Argentine football club from Caseros, Buenos Aires. The club is mostly known for its football team, which currently plays in the Primera ...

in the Copa Argentina semi-final. A week later they lost the Copa Libertadores final against

Flamengo Clube de Regatas do Flamengo (; English: ''Flamengo Rowing Club''), more commonly referred to as simply Flamengo, is a Brazilian sports club based in Rio de Janeiro, in the neighborhood of Gávea, best known for their professional football t ...

. River were leading 1-0 until the 88th minute of the game through a goal from Santos Borre, but two goals from

Gabriel Barbosa Gabriel Barbosa Almeida (born 30 August 1996), commonly known as Gabigol or Gabi, is a Brazilian professional footballer who plays as a forward for Campeonato Brasileiro Série A club Flamengo and the Brazil national team. A graduate of the ...

in six minutes gave Flamengo their second Copa Libertadores. River ended the month on a positive note, with a 2-3 away victory vs

Newell's Old Boys Club Atlético Newell's Old Boys () is an Argentine sports club based in Rosario, Santa Fe. The club was founded on 3 November 1903, and is named after Isaac Newell of the English county of Kent, one of the pioneers of Argentine football. A ...

December

December began with a home loss against rivals

San Lorenzo San Lorenzo is the Italian and Spanish name for Lawrence of Rome, Saint Lawrence, the 3rd-century Christian martyr, and may refer to: Places Argentina * San Lorenzo, Santa Fe * San Lorenzo Department, Chaco * Monte San Lorenzo, a mountain on t ...

. Five days later, River beat Central Córdoba 3-0 in the Copa Argentina Final, in their last game of 2019.

January

River Plate began the new year with a 2-1 victory against rivals Independiente at

Estadio Libertadores de América The Estadio Libertadores de América - Ricardo Enrique Bochini
on Télam, 5 Dec 2021

Squad

Transfers

''Domestic transfer windows:
3 July 2019 to 24 September 2019
20 January 2020 to 19 February 2020.''

Transfers in

Transfers out

Loans out

Friendlies

Pre-season

In June 2019, River Plate were announced as one of four clubs, alongside

, América and

, that would take part in the inaugural Colossus Cup in the United States. They were scheduled to face the

duo at the

SDCCU Stadium San Diego Stadium was a multi-purpose stadium on the west coast of the United States, in San Diego, California. The stadium opened in 1967 as San Diego Stadium and was known as Jack Murphy Stadium from 1981 to 1997. From 1997 to 2017, the stadium ...

San Diego San Diego ( , ; ) is a city on the Pacific Ocean coast of Southern California located immediately adjacent to the Mexico–United States border. With a 2020 population of 1,386,932, it is the List of United States cities by population, eigh ...

on 28 June and at

CenturyLink Field Lumen Field is a multi-purpose stadium in Seattle, Washington, United States. Located in the city's SoDo neighborhood, it is the home field for the Seattle Seahawks The Seattle Seahawks are a professional American football team based in S ...

in Seattle on 6 July. A day before facing Guadalajara, the club took on

side

in a friendly match. They met the American outfit again on 4 July.

Mid-season

River Plate and

(

Primera B Nacional Primera Nacional (usually called simply Nacional B, in English "National B Division", and known as Primera B Nacional until the 2019–20 season) is the second division of the Argentine football league system. The competition is made up of 37 tea ...

) scheduled a friendly with each other for 9 August, in Ezeiza at River Camp.

Competitions

Primera División

League table

Relegation table

Source
AFA

Results summary

Matches

The fixtures for the 2019–20 campaign were released on 10 July.

Copa Argentina

River Plate began their cup run against

side Gimnasia y Esgrima (M) on 16 July 2019, at the Estadio Único in

Villa Mercedes Villa Mercedes is a city in the province of San Luis, Argentina. It lies on the center-east of the province, on the left-hand banks of the Quinto River, 32 km from the border with Córdoba, on National Route 148, and near the intersection ...

Copa de la Superliga

Copa Libertadores

River Plate were drawn with Brazil's Cruzeiro in the

round of sixteen in May 2019, with the ties set for the succeeding July. Their subsequent win meant they would play

, fresh from knocking out

, in the quarter-finals. Local rivals

were disposed of in the semi-finals, in what was a rematch of the 2018 finals. River were paired up with Brazilian champions Flamengo in the final played in

Lima, Peru Lima ( ; ), originally founded as Ciudad de Los Reyes (City of The Kings) is the capital and the largest city of Peru. It is located in the valleys of the Chillón River, Chillón, Rímac River, Rímac and Lurín Rivers, in the desert zone of t ...

Squad statistics

Appearances and goals

''Statistics accurate as of 2 September 2019.''

Goalscorers

Notes

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:2019-20 Club Atlético River Plate season Club Atlético River Plate seasons River Plate