Six-time champions Boca Juniors will host local rivals Racing Club in the quarter-finals of the Copa Libertadores. Racing eliminated Colombian team Atletico Nacional, setting up Wednesday’s first leg at La Bombonera. Boca upset Uruguayan team Nacional on penalties to go to the round of eight.
Preview (Boca Juniors vs Racing)
Boca Juniors and Nacional played out a tense 2-2 draw in the second leg of their round-of-16 match after a scoreless first leg. Boca Juniors ultimately prevailed 4-2 on penalties thanks to Valentin Barco’s game-winning spot kick. The Buenos Aires giants’ Copa Libertadores campaign did not get off to a good start. They drew 0-0 with Venezuelan minnows Monagas in their opening game. Both Bruno Valdez and Facundo Roncaglia received red cards. A couple of clean-sheet triumphs over Colo Colo came before a 4-0 hammering of Monagas. Jorge Almiron’s team recovered to win four of their following five Libertadores matches. They have scored nine goals while giving up only two.
Boca had a less-than-stellar season in the Argentine Primera Division earlier this year. They dropped nine of their 27 games and finished seventh after the first round. They did start the second round with a 3-1 win over Platense the previous time they played. The Blue and Gold have advanced to an unprecedented 11 Copa Libertadores finals. Their last defeats in 2012 and 2018 after their most recent triumph back in 2007. Racing Club, meanwhile, advanced to the quarterfinals with an incredible 5-4 aggregate victory over Atletico Nacional, coming back from two goals behind to accomplish so for the first time since the competition’s 2020 semifinals.
Racing lost the first leg of their round of 16 match 4-2 despite Gonzalo Piovi scoring twice in stoppage time. However, they were able to turn the tide at home by winning the second leg 3-0 to reach the quarterfinals. La Academia finished Group A with two points more than Brazilian powerhouse Flamengo. Racing had 13 goals, one more than Palmeiras, who also had four victories, one tie, and one loss. Racing Club is coached by former Real Madrid midfielder and Boca Juniors veteran Fernando Gago. He played 199 times for the Blue and Gold, will be adamant about beating the Buenos Aires juggernaut. La Academia will not need any inspiration to rise to the occasion on Wednesday.
Team News
Luca Langoni, a winger for Boca Juniors, will be hoping to play a part in the first leg at La Bombonera. He made an injury comeback in the win over Platense last weekend. Exequiel Zeballos and Lucas Janson will likely operate on the flanks on Wednesday, with veteran striker Edinson Cavani, 36, likely to lead the line after scoring last time out. Sergio Romero is anticipated to make a comeback in goal, while at the other end of the field, Marcos Rojo will team up with Jorge Figal at center-back.
However, Racing Club may be without up to six first-team players on Wednesday due to injury concerns with Nicolas Reniero, Roger Martinez, Johan Carbonero, Emiliano Vecchio, Leonel Miranda, and Juan Ignacio Nardoni. In an effort to lessen Boca’s offensive threat, Fernando Gago is likely to use a 5-3-2 system with Maximiliano Romero and Juan Fernando Quintero as the forward line. Gabriel Rojas and Gaston Martirena should start at full back, while Santiago Quiros, Tobias Rubio, and Ivan Pillud are anticipated to start at center back. Given the importance of this match, we anticipate a tense and cagey draw between Boca Juniors and Racing Club on Wednesday, with both teams opting for a draw before the pivotal second leg.
Boca Juniors 1 – 1 Racing Club
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