Boca vs Belgrano
Boca Juniors had their weekend match (away to Barracas Central) suspended as a gesture of mourning following the passing of their head coach, Miguel Ángel Russo. In their previous outing, they ended a three-match winless run in the league (two draws and one defeat) with an emphatic 5-0 home victory over Newell’s Old Boys. That result brought El Xeneize to 17 points in the Torneo Clausura, keeping them within the playoff positions in Group A and also inside the Copa Libertadores qualification zone in the aggregate table. Boca remain unbeaten at home this semester, with two wins and three draws. Assistant coach Claudio Ubeda will take over from now. Alan Velasco has been ruled out for the rest of the season due to a knee injury. Leandro Paredes returns from his international duty. Carlos Palacios (who returns after his injury) will replace Velasco in the only expected change.
Belgrano let a victory slip away last Saturday, conceding an equalizer in the fourth minute of stoppage time to draw 1-1 at home against Estudiantes. As a result, El Pirata missed the chance to move into the playoff zone in Group A, remaining on 15 points after winning just one of their last eight matches in the Torneo Clausura (five draws and two losses). Belgrano are also winless in their last five away games, with four draws and one defeat in that span. Lucas Zelarayán will be available on Saturday after returning from international duty with Armenia.
Boca has definitely improved lately, and I expect this to be a very emotional game for them as it will be the first one after coach Miguel Angel Russo passed a few days ago. They are coming from a very easy 5-0 against Newell’s and I expect them to win again at home against Belgrano who next week will play the Copa Argentina semifinals and could be more focused on that very important game for them.