Banfield vs Boca
Banfield missed another great opportunity last Tuesday when they suffered a tough 1-0 defeat away to Estudiantes, conceding the only goal in the 78th minute. With this result, El Taladro have now gone three league matches without a win (one draw and two losses), a streak that has pushed them out of the playoff zone in Group A. Ariel Broggi’s team accumulated seven points in the first five rounds of the Torneo Apertura. Banfield won only one of their last six home matches, drawing three and losing two in that span. Tomás Nasif is still recovering from an ankle injury.
Boca Juniors had to fight harder than expected last Tuesday but eventually secured a 2-0 home victory over Independiente Rivadavia, with goals from Miguel Merentiel and Exequiel Zeballos. El Xeneize has now reached eight points in the first five rounds of the Torneo Apertura and has lost just one of their last 12 league matches (seven wins and four draws). That defeat (2-0 against Racing Club away last weekend) also ended their four-match unbeaten streak on the road (two wins and two draws). Tomás Belmonte suffered a muscle injury in the last match and will not be available on Friday. Edinson Cavani will miss out too.
Boca plays the 1st leg of the Copa Libertadores 2nd Qualifying stage next Tuesday at Peru and since that’s of course their main goal this year and they don’t even consider not making it to the groups stage, they will use a mixed lineup here with many reserves. Banfield might not be the most reliable team and not having Nasif could be a problem, but they’ve looked improved so far this season and should take advantage of a Boca that will have their minds on next Tuesday’s game.