A familiar face looks poised to win Argentine Clausura

	Gonzalo Higuaín (left) may be gone, but striker Radamel Falcao García and a bevy of reinforcements make River a title favorite. Daniel Garcia/AFP/Getty Images
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Look who's back. River Plate put an exclamation point on the preseason Thursday night with a second straight victory against archrival Boca Juniors. It may have been by penalty shootout (after a 1-1 deadlock), but one thing's for certain: River will be the real deal this season.

The Millonarios look destined to turn it round after some recent disappointments with a vastly improved squad. They finished the preseason undefeated (three wins and two draws) and, most importantly, proved themselves superior to Boca with two impressive wins.

Daniel Passarella's side should be a strong title contender this season, but they can't get carried away yet. Several other clubs will put up a challenge -- Boca, Vélez Sársfield and Independiente.

Here is my forecast for the top 10 contenders in the Argentine 2007 Clausura in the order of predicted finish.

1. River Plate

Is this finally River's year. Passarella was first to point out that if River wants to be a real threat, it must make a stand in the transfer market -- and that's exactly what it did. River may have offloaded two of its biggest stars in Gonzalo Higuaín and Marcelo Gallardo, but the club used that cash to bring in several reinforcements including Leonardo Ponzio, Nelson Rivas, Cristian Villagra and Marco Ruben, as well as Diego Galván and Gastón Fernández, who return from loans. But Passarella still insists on more signings, and it's just a matter of time before River seals the signing of Mauro Rosales from Ajax Amsterdam.

The Verdict: Despite the reinforcements, team captain Fernando Belluschi will play a key role as River wins its first title in three years.

2. Vélez Sársfield

New manager Ricardo La Volpe will have the opportunity to prove himself again after a miserable three months at Boca. In recent years, Vélez has consolidated itself as Argentina's strongest club outside the "big five," and much is expected of it this year. Even though it rarely makes any big signings, fans are more than aware that their team has enough talent to put up a strong title challenge. La Volpe says his team will play entertaining, attacking soccer, and El Fortín can count on the services of Mauro Zárate, the most exciting striker in the competition.

The Verdict: La Volpe will rebound as Vélez challenges River down to the wire.

3. Boca Juniors

Los Xeneizes look to put behind them a devastating Apertura that saw them finish second to Estudiantes after losing their last three matches. That disappointment meant La Volpe had to go, and much is expected of his replacement, Miguel Ángel Russo, the manager who brought Vélez the '05 Clausura title. Thanks to the $26.3 million sale of Fernando Gago to Real Madrid, Boca was able to reinforce its squad with a list that includes Bruno Marioni, Sergio Orteman and Clemente Rodríguez. And if that isn't enough, Russo will also have options in emerging talents Matías Cahais and Ever Banegas, players who helped Argentina qualify for the '08 Olympics last weekend.

The Verdict: Boca will do well, but will put most of its efforts towards winning the Copa Libertadores.