Marcos Acuña faced scrutiny from fans following River’s defeat against Tigre at the Monumental on February 6, 2026. The World Cup champion and two-time continental titleholder entered the match as a second-half substitute, but struggled against David Romero, who repeatedly beat him on the wing, and was exposed during a challenge with Lautaro Rivero as the scoreline reached 0-3.
The Argentine international’s performance sparked reaction online, including a pointed message from the social media account associated with Enzo Díaz, the left-back who moved to São Paulo at the direction of Marcelo Gallardo.
Díaz’s account posted a photo of the current player for the Brazilian club accompanied by the succinct and impactful phrase: “No le dicen huevo, este los tiene” – roughly translated as “They don’t call him gutsy, this one has them.”
The player’s brother shared a photo of him on social media. (Photo: colodiaz33/Instagram)
Will Marcos Acuña Return to River’s Starting Lineup?
That’s the key question facing manager Marcelo Gallardo as River prepares to visit Argentinos Juniors on Thursday, February 12, 2026, for a crucial fifth-round match in the Apertura tournament. The team is currently vying for the top spot in their group.
All eyes are on the left-back position, which appeared settled at the start of the season. Matías Viña had established himself as the starter in Acuña’s absence, but his performance in the 3-0 loss to Tigre has reopened the competition for the role and potentially cleared the path for Acuña to reclaim his place in the starting eleven.
Acuña, who previously played for Ferro, Racing Club, Sporting Lisbon, and Sevilla, has been gradually increasing his playing time, logging nearly 65 minutes across the last two games. He was unavailable for the preseason and the first two league matches due to a foot injury.
Acuña’s last start came on November 24, 2025, in a 3-2 defeat against Racing in the Round of 16 of the Clausura 2025 tournament.
