Boca Juniors finished second in Group D of the Sudamericana, accumulating 11 points with three wins, two draws and one loss. However, they finished behind Fortaleza, who added 13 points and advanced directly to the round of 16.
This way, Boca Juniors is in an unexpected but exciting stage of the Copa Sudamericana. In this instance, it will face the talented Ecuadorian team Independiente del Valle, which has vast experience in this international tournament.
Independiente del Valle, for its part, comes from the Copa Libertadores, where it finished third in Group F. The first leg will take place in Ecuador, at the Banco de Guayaquil stadium, this Wednesday, July 17 at 9:30 p.m. (local time).
The return leg will be played at La Bombonera, the iconic stadium of Boca Juniorson Wednesday, July 24, also at 9:30 p.m. Independiente del Valle is one of the best in its country and currently leads the First Round of Serie A.
In its last participation in the Copa Sudamericana, Independiente del Valle was crowned champion by beating San Pablo in the final. Independiente del Valle’s squad includes several Argentines, including coach Martín Anselmi and players such as Guido Villar, Mateo Carabajal, Joaquín Pombo, Richard Schunke, Cristian Zabala, Michael Hoyos and Lautaro Díaz.
Boca Juniors will seek to advance to the round of 16, but will face a challenging rival in Independiente del Valle. If they manage to get through this phase, their next opponent will be Cruzeiro and only then will they be able to overcome the power that emerged in this phase of the Cup.
Crossroads
Mouthtonight and in the return match, he will not be able to count on any of the four reinforcements he brought, for not having included them in time in the forms required by Conmebol. Edinson Cavani will also be out of the match due to muscle ailments.
“There was a little issue with the timetable. We were convinced that we could present the list at 8pm in Argentina and 7pm in Paraguay. And in the end it was earlier, at 6pm in Paraguay. We sent the email at 7:43pm here. Conmebol was strict,” said Riquelme regarding the controversy over the incorrect inclusion.
