Boca Juniors changed the shape of its biggest night before a ball is kicked: Leandro Paredes is back after a grade 2 hamstring tear, but he will start on the bench against Vasco da Gama in Tuesday's Copa Sudamericana semifinal second leg at the Maracaná. The match begins at 21.30, with Boca needing to chase a one-goal deficit from the first leg at La Bombonera.
That decision is the reason the matchup is drawing so much attention now. Paredes was available after only 11 days of recovery, a quick return that made his inclusion possible, yet Boca stopped short of sending him out from the start. In practical terms, that means he can be used as an impact option, but not for a full 90 minutes after so little time away from a hamstring injury.
The projected lineup shows how much of the team is being left intact. Rodolfo Arruabarrena kept Rodrigo Battaglia in the starting side, Sebastián Villa gets the nod instead of Ángel Romero, and Facundo Herrera returns in defense for Ayrton Costa. The expected XI is Álvaro Montero, Leandro Lozano, Lautaro Di Lollo, Facundo Herrera, Lautaro Blanco, Santiago Ascacibar, Rodrigo Battaglia, Milton Delgado, Sebastián Villa, Miguel Merentiel and Leonel Flores.
Arruabarrena left little doubt about the balancing act behind the call. He said Paredes was training almost alongside the group, but that the timing was not what had been expected and there was still risk in forcing him in. That is the split Boca is managing on Tuesday: the player is fit enough to travel, fit enough to be available, and still not fit enough to be trusted from the first whistle in a semifinal it must overturn.
What happens next is straightforward and unforgiving. Boca goes into the return leg needing to erase the first-leg damage, and Paredes' role will likely be measured in minutes rather than a starting place. If he is needed, he can change the game; if not, the bench decision will tell the rest of the story.
