Eduardo Coudet, known as 'Chacho', will make his debut as River Plate's head coach this Thursday against Huracán in Parque Patricios, for matchday 10 of the Apertura Tournament. The coach announced the squad list, which includes an unspecified surprise. His debut history creates mixed expectations among Millonario fans.
Eduardo Coudet recently took over as River Plate's head coach following Marcelo Gallardo's departure. His first match in charge will be this Thursday at 21:30 in Huracán's stadium in Parque Patricios, for matchday 10 of the Apertura Tournament. The game will be officiated by Nicolás Ramírez and played with a reduced capacity of 15,000 spectators, as enabled by the City of Buenos Aires.
The 51-year-old Coudet has a record of eight debuts as a coach across various clubs: three wins, three losses, and two draws. In 2015, with Rosario Central, he beat Racing 1-0 with a goal from Franco Cervi, starting a successful stint. In 2017, he debuted with Tijuana in Mexico, losing 0-2 to Cruz Azul. In 2018, with Racing, he fell 1-2 to Unión in Santa Fe.
In 2020, upon joining Internacional in Brazil, he won 1-0 against Juventude. That same year, at Celta de Vigo, he lost 2-4 to Sevilla. In 2023, with Atlético Mineiro, he triumphed 2-1 over Caldense in the Campeonato Mineiro, a tournament he later won. In his second stint at Internacional, he drew 1-1 with Bragantino in the Brasileirão. His most recent debut, in December 2024 with Alavés in the Copa del Rey, ended 2-2 and a 2-4 penalty loss to Deportiva Minera, eliminating the team.
The coach has managed in Argentina (Rosario Central and Racing), Mexico (Tijuana), Brazil (Internacional and Atlético Mineiro), and Spain (Celta de Vigo and Alavés). For this debut, Coudet called up players including Juanfer Quintero, according to source indications, though details of the surprise in the squad list are not specified.