River vs Boca

River Plate silenced its critics and heads into the Superclásico in top form. On Matchday 14, El Millonario put in a dominant performance, defeating Gimnasia LP 3-0 away and securing their spot in the playoffs. Unbeaten in its last six league matches (two wins and four draws), Marcelo Gallardo’s team sits third in Group B with 25 points. At home, River Plate has recorded four wins, two draws, and one loss in the Apertura Tournament. On Wednesday, April 23, River Plate drew 2-2 with Independiente del Valle in Ecuador in Matchday 3 of the Copa Libertadores. Paulo Díaz remains out due to injury.

Boca Juniors continues its strong run in the league. Last weekend, Fernando Gago’s side secured a 2-0 home win over Estudiantes thanks to goals from Carlos Palacios and Miguel Merentiel, cementing their position as the undisputed leaders of Group A after winning nine of their last ten league matches (losing just one). Unsurprisingly, Xeneize have already secured their place in the playoffs. In fact, they have won three of their last four away matches in this competition, plus one defeat. Edinson Cavani suffered a muscle injury and will not play.

The most important match of the semester for both teams, and one that will determine their mood in the near future. While both teams obviously need to win, neither team will view a draw as a bad result: Boca Juniors would practically secure first place in the group, while River Plate would rise to third. Boca Juniors isn’t shining, but it’s been solid lately; River Plate has been too inconsistent to be considered a big favorite, so I like this odds for the visitors to not lose.

BET: Boca +0.5 @ 1.93