Boca and Vélez began their Copa Argentina round-of-16 match in Córdoba on Wednesday, with the winner moving on to face Racing in the quarterfinals. The game is being played at the Estadio Mario Alberto Kempes, with Sebastián Zunino as referee and TyC Sports carrying it on television while TyC Sports Play is showing it online.
The match also puts Rodolfo Arruabarrena opposite Guillermo Barros Schelotto in a knockout setting that carries its own memory. Boca arrived with momentum after beating Lanús 1-0 and sealing a place in the Copa Sudamericana quarterfinals against Recoleta, while Vélez came in with the edge of having beaten Boca 4-3 in their last Copa Argentina meeting on 27 November 2024.
That semifinal went Vélez’s way despite Boca coming back with one fewer player before Agustín Bouzat struck twice near the end, a reminder that the margin between these sides can disappear fast. The recent league meeting was tighter still, a 1-1 draw on 8 August at the Estadio Tomás Adolfo Ducó, with Diego Valdés scoring for Vélez and Santiago Ascacíbar replying for Boca.
Boca’s starting side reflected the importance of the tie, with Álvaro Montero behind Leandro Lozano, Lautaro Di Lollo, Facundo Herrera and Lautaro Blanco, and Santiago Ascacibar, Leandro Paredes, Tomás Belmonte, Alan Velasco, Miguel Merentiel and Sebastián Villa ahead of them. Vélez answered with Tomás Marchiori in goal and Joaquín García, Thiago Silvero, Lisandro Magallán, Elías Gómez, Rodrigo Aliendro, Lucas Robertone, Matías Pellegrini, Manuel Lanzini, Alex Veron and Ronaldo Martínez.
There was one detail that left a small question hanging over Boca: Leandro Lozano and Marco Pellegrino had only just returned to work with the group after muscular injuries, and Tomás Aranda was absent from the squad. That left Arruabarrena with a full knockout night in front of him and one clean consequence behind it — the winner would leave Córdoba with a place among the last eight and a path toward Racing.
