For the quarterfinals of the Apertura Tournament, Boca will seek to maintain its last hope in the first part of the year at home against Independiente. The winner of this tie will face Huracán, who comes from winning 1-0 away against Rosario Central.
The Xeneizeis fully focused on this match, as it is the only relevant thing it has until the Club World Cup, meanwhile the Rojo will seek not to risk everything, due to the pending definition of the Sudamericana group stage. In case of a tie in regulation time, the ticket to the next phase will be decided from the penalty spot.
How is each team doing and when did they last meet?
Boca arrives at this clash with more doubts than certainties. Although it had a good start in the regular phase, the last stretch began to complicate, especially after the Superclásico. The Xeneize comes from winning on penalties against Lanús, after a lackluster 0-0 in the 90 minutes, which sparked the anger of the fans against the team and the management.
Boca pasó por penales frente a Lanús
Meanwhile, Independiente arrives at the classic with two key victories. On the national level, the Rojo eliminated its namesake from Mendoza, Independiente Rivadavia, with a narrow victory, thanks to an unbelievable bicycle kick goal by Santiago Montiel. At the same time, on the international level, it managed to settle at the top of its Sudamericana group, after winning 1-0 against Guaraní, with a goal by Diego Tarzia.
Independiente viene de ganar dos partidos muy importantes
The last classic between them was on December 14 of last year at La Bombonera, in a match corresponding to the last date of the League Cup. In that match, neither team was playing for anything important, as Vélez was already far ahead at the top and the international cup spots were already secured, so it was a 0-0 without much excitement.
En el último partido no se sacaron diferencias
Time and TV
The Xeneize will host the Rojo at 9:30 PM at La Bombonera. The match will be broadcast by ESPN Premium and TNT Sports. The winner of the match will play against Huracán in the semifinals.
Possible Lineups
Boca (4-3-1-2):
Goalkeeper: Agustín Marchesín
Defenders: Lucas Blondel, Rodrigo Battaglia, Marcos Rojo or Ayrton Costa, and Lautaro Blanco
Midfielders: Ander Herrera or Tomás Belmonte, Milton Delgado, Kevin Zenón, and Carlos Palacios
Forwards: Miguel Merentiel and Milton Giménez
Independiente (4-3-3):
Goalkeeper: Rodrigo Rey
Defenders: Federico Vera, Kevin Lomónaco, Sebastián Valdéz, and Álvaro Angulo
Midfielders: Felipe Loyola, Iván Marcone, and Luciano Cabral
Forwards: Santiago Montiel, Matías Giménez or Gabriel Avalos, and Diego Tarzia or Lautaro Milán
