After the celebrations of the Professional League Cup, Boca will have a key commitment for its future this Thursday: from 9:00 p.m. it will receive Deportivo Cali with the obligation to win to qualify for the round of 16 of the Copa Libertadores. In the event of a tie, Sebastián Battaglia’s team will continue their participation in the Copa Sudamericana.
In the last match of Group E, Boca appears with the urgent need to win to continue in the continental competition. So far, Corinthians and Cali lead the zone with eight points, followed by Boca with seven, while Always Ready closes with four. With this scenario, Boca will advance to the round of 16 if it wins, but if it draws it will enter the field of miracles since it will be necessary for Always Ready to beat Corinthians in San Pablo at the same time, an almost impossible result. In the case of being left out of the Libertadores, either with a tie or a defeat, the “Xeneizes” have almost guaranteed their participation in the South American, a tournament to which the third parties of each of the zones will qualify.
In any case, after having celebrated a new star for its shield on Sunday in Córdoba, after beating Tigre (3-0) and taking over the domestic tournament, Boca aspires to everything and, encouraged by 60,000 fans, will go in search of a result. that allows you to close an unforgettable month in the best way.
Coach Sebastián Battaglia, who went from being questioned to untouchable in a handful of weeks, will put the best available with the exception of Colombian striker Sebastián Villa, who, in addition to the aggravated sexual abuse case, still owes a suspension date from the six that Conmebol applied to him for the scandal almost a year ago against Atlético Mineiro, in Belo Horizonte, after a controversial elimination.
Villa will not be available, but defender Marcos Rojo will, who served five suspension dates for having participated in the incidents after the game in the locker room, on a list of punished that included Carlos Izquierdoz, Diego “Pulpo” González and Javier García , who were already enabled since last day.
In relation to the recent formation that took the Olympic lap in Córdoba, there will be two changes, since the tear suffered by right back Luis Advíncula was added to Villa’s suspension. In this way, Exequiel Zeballos from Santiago will be in the starting eleven for the Colombian and Nicolás Figal for the Peruvian.
Boca will try to repeat what it did in Córdoba, with the solidity of its defense, in that triangle made up of Agustín Rossi, Izquierdoz and Rojo, plus a midfield in which Guillermo “Pol” Fernández and Alan Varela stand out, while little by little to take importance the Paraguayan Oscar Romero. On offense, Boca will have its scorer Darío “Pipa” Benedetto, the recovered Eduardo “Toto” Salvio and Zeballos, less fast than Villa but with much more imbalance in hand-to-hand, to which is added a respectable punch.
His rival, Deportivo Cali, who with a tie will go to the round of 16, is the opposite, because he arrives at La Bombonera with a week off, because his last presentation was the victory over Always Ready, which he thrashed 3-0 In the past week.
The coach of the Colombians, the former Venezuelan goalkeeper Rafael Dudamel, has a doubt in defense between keeping Miguel Ángel Mina or including the Argentine Guillermo Burdisso, who had a spell in Boca. In the match played in Colombia, Cali won 2-0 in a duel in which Battaglia’s team left a very pale image.