Racing Club vs Boca Juniors
Racing Club are still alive on their quest to lift the third league title over the last decade. Two weeks ago, the team won on penalties after a scoreless draw at Velez Sarsfield, who had been the best team in the group stage. La Academia succumbed to a single defeat in their last four matches in the Copa Liga Profesional, winning two and drawing one in regular time. Coach Juan Antonio Pizzi will miss key players Gabriel Arias and Eugenio Mena, who have already joined Chile’s national team ahead of the World Cup Qualifiers and the Copa America.
Defending league champions Boca Juniors also secured their ticket to the semi-finals through the penalty shootout as they beat arch-rivals River Plate (who were short handed due to 15 Covid-19 positives) after a 1-1 home draw in the quarter-finals. El Xeneize lost only one of their last five matches in this competition (to Patronato 1-0 away with an alternative XI), along with three victories and one draw in regular time. Boca played two Copa Libertadores’ games since their last league commitment, having drawn to Ecuador’s Barcelona SC 0-0 and beaten Bolivia’s The Strongest 3-0 (both at home) to advance to the round-of-16.
Boca has a more complete squad for this semifinal in neutral ground and I expect them to get a win and reach the final.