Boca Juniors will host Universidad Católica on Thursday at 21.30 at La Bombonera in a sixth-round Group D Copa Libertadores match that could decide its season. Boca is third in the group with seven points, one behind Cruzeiro and three behind Universidad Católica, and anything less than a win would end its campaign.
The equation is simple for Boca. A victory would leave it level on points with the Chilean side and send it through on the head-to-head tiebreaker after winning the first meeting. A draw would eliminate it regardless of what happens elsewhere. The pressure is sharpened by the fact that Boca has gone three straight matches without a win, including a draw with Cruzeiro on the weekend that was overshadowed by controversy over two handball incidents in stoppage time.
That first meeting between the sides came nearly two months ago and ended 2-1 for Boca. Leandro Paredes scored for Boca in that game, Adam Bareiro also found the net, and Juan Ignacio Díaz scored for Universidad Católica. The result now hangs over the rematch because it gives Boca the edge it needs if it can take all three points at home.
Boca will go into the match with several absences. Ayrton Costa is suspended and Adam Bareiro is injured, while Santiago Ascacíbar is also suspended. Leandro Brey is expected to stay in goal, with Marco Pellegrino coming in for Costa in defense. Milton Delgado and Leandro Paredes would remain in midfield, and Ander Herrera is set to start in place of Tomás Belmonte. Tomás Aranda would operate as the attacking midfielder, with Milton Giménez and Exequiel Zeballos leading the attack. Miguel Merentiel would be on the bench.
Universidad Católica arrives with a different kind of pressure. It can qualify for the next round with either a win or a draw, which means the visitors do not need to chase the match in the same way Boca does. The Chilean club comes in after losing the classic against Colo-Colo on the weekend, ending a six-match unbeaten run. That defeat broke its momentum, but it did not remove the chance to advance on Thursday night.
For Boca, the stakes are immediate and unforgiving. The club needs a win to avoid an early exit from the Copa Libertadores, and its first result against Universidad Católica gives it a route through if it can reproduce it. At La Bombonera, with its season on the line and no margin left for a cautious approach, Boca has only one result that keeps the door open.
