Boca's triumph over Deportivo Riestra in the Torneo Apertura debut left more concerns than certainties for the coaching staff. Beyond the 1-0 at La Bombonera, the match confirmed a new significant absence: Alan Velasco suffered a serious sprain in his left knee and will be out of action for around two months.
In the return to training, the former Independiente player didn't take part in practice and underwent medical tests, which confirmed a serious sprain in the same left knee in which he had suffered a ligament tear in 2024, when he was playing in the United States. From Xeneize they clarified that, although the injury is serious, it isn't a ligament relapse, so they will handle the rehabilitation as cautiously as possible.
Velasco tuvo un esquince en la rodilla izquierda
The blow is twofold for the player, who had managed to earn a place again in Claudio Úbeda's starting XI after a long recovery process. He had already started in the friendly against Olimpia in San Nicolás and he was again in the line-up from the start against Riestra, where he showed flashes of his game, until a harsh foul by Miguel Barbieri resulted in the injury.
With the next match against Estudiantes in mind, Boca still hasn't decided on his replacement. With Ángel Romero's arrival still pending and Carlos Palacios also injured, Braian Aguirre, who replaced him against Malevo, and Kevin Zenón appear as the most viable alternatives.
Aguirre o Zenón podría tomar el lugar de Velasco
Besides Velasco, the match left other medical updates. Rodrigo Battaglia will have to undergo surgery, while Ánder Herrera and Lucas Janson, who also requested to be substituted, do not have serious injuries and could be available for the next match. Edinson Cavani, meanwhile, trained alongside his teammates this Monday and logged some minutes of soccer.
