It is worth noting that Arruabarrena still needs to define the team that will face the Paraguayan side and will assess the physical condition of his players after the draw against Vélez in the Torneo Clausura.
The Xeneize coach will be able to count on two players who have overcome their injuries for the first leg of the round of 16
It is worth noting that Arruabarrena still needs to define the team that will face the Paraguayan side and will assess the physical condition of his players after the draw against Vélez in the Torneo Clausura.
Boca is all set for the first chapter of its series against Recoleta in the round of 16 of the Copa Sudamericana. Rodolfo Arruabarrena has defined the roster for the match this Tuesday at the Tomás Adolfo Ducó, and the main news is the returns of Carlos Palacios and Tomás Belmonte, who are back in contention after overcoming their respective injuries.
The return of both players is good news for the coach, especially in a midfield that has not had many alternatives. Palacios had been sidelined for a good part of the semester due to synovitis in his right knee, and just when he was close to returning against O'Higgins, he suffered a strain in his right pectineus that delayed his comeback again.
On the other hand, Belmonte had suffered a sprain in his right ankle prior to the round of 16 match of the Copa Argentina against Sarmiento (16/7). After completing his recovery, the former Lanús player is back among the squad and offers Arruabarrena an option to manage the workload of the usual starters during the series of matches.
The returns of Palacios and Belmonte led to the exclusions of Milton Giménez and Williams Alarcón from the roster. In both cases, the decision is based solely on footballing reasons and not on new physical issues. Giménez, who even had minutes in the draw against Vélez, was until now the main natural alternative to accompany Miguel Merentiel in attack, although Adam Bareiro's injury has reduced the coach's options.
In parallel to the returns, another thing has also been confirmed: the long-awaited debut of Enner Valencia in Boca's jersey will have to wait. The Ecuadorian forward, who was officially presented as a signing over the weekend, was not included in the roster for the match against Recoleta.
The decision is part of a plan designed by the coaching staff to bring him along gradually. Valencia has not played an official match for a month since his participation with Ecuador in the World Cup, and although he is already training alongside his teammates and even participated in small-sided games, he still needs to regain physical and footballing rhythm.
Arruabarrena's intention is not to rush the process to avoid an injury and to ensure that the forward can get up to speed during the upcoming training sessions. Thus, one of the possibilities the coaching staff is considering is that Valencia could get his first minutes in the rematch against Recoleta in Paraguay.