After 24 hours of uncertainty regarding a schedule that remained unchanged, The quarterfinals of the Professional League Cup kick off this Tuesday. At 7:15 p.m. (ESPN Premium television), Racing (1st in Zone 1) will face Aldosivi de Mar del Plata (4th in Zone 2) in Avellaneda, while at 9:30 p.m. (by TNT Sports) , Boca (2nd of Zone 2 will receive Defense and Justice at the Bombonera (3rd of 1st). The winners of both matches will advance to the semifinals scheduled for next weekend at the Huracán and Independiente stadiums and in the event of a tie after 90 minutes, there will be kicks from the penalty spot. The competition will continue this Wednesday with the Estudiantes-Argentinos Juniors (19:15) and River-Tigre (21:30) matches.
Racing goes for everything
After breaking the historical record of ten consecutive victories in official competitions (League Cups, South American Cups and Argentina Cups) in the “professional” era, the Academy declined a bit: of its last five games it only won one (2 to 1 to Cuiabá for the continental tournament). But they were still able to retain first place in their zone, remaining undefeated (eight wins and six draws) throughout the 14 games of the group stage. For this game, coach Fernando Gago will be able to count on Tomás Chancalay, who met a suspension date on Friday against San Lorenzo. Obviously, he will put in the best that he has at hand. Beyond the downturn that could have suffered due to the accumulation of games, Racing appears as a favorite to advance.
Aldosivi, who at the time came to thread a streak of five wins in a row, seems to have missed the point: he achieved one of the last twelve units he played and finished the group stage with as many games won as lost (six). From the technical direction, Martín Palermo had given the team identity and performance. The first thing, badly that badly is maintained. The second seems to have been losing it as the tournament progressed. Likewise, he was able to hold on to the qualifying positions. Aldosivi will have to pick up a lot to win the Avellaneda Cylinder and his big bet is that Martín Cauteruccio sustains his scoring streak: with 9 goals he shares the scorers’ table with Mauro Boselli.
The controversial game
Boca will try to find in the local tournament the momentum it needs to qualify for the round of 16 of the Copa Libertadores, where it headed after beating Always Ready 1-0 last week at the height of La Paz. Regarding the team that prevailed in Bolivia (he made nine changes against Tigre), the coach Sebastián Battaglia will make a variant: Eduardo Salvio will go for Juan Ramírez with the idea of proposing to Defense a good offensive 4-3-3. For Boca there are no options and no matter how much it overlaps with the Libertadores, the maximum effort will be made to win this League Cup.
We will have to see how Florencio Varela’s Halcón faces the game after having played on Sunday against Patronato. Sebastián Beccacece’s team displays highly dynamic football and may be able to sustain the effort. Defense is more than able to give Boca a big scare and even to beat him if the case arises. But Boca will make you feel fresher in your legs and in a mood that has improved after your last three wins (Barracas Central, Always Ready and Tigre). But that can get worse if Defense hits and achieves the classification no less than in the Bombonera.
