Xeneize suffer heavy loss to River and load with suspensions and injuries ahead of key clash
Xeneize not only endured a heavy defeat against River but also received five suspensions to attend the meeting with the Pirate, who joins the injured list.
The momentum Boca built with wins over Racing and Colo Colo did not translate into quick momentum for the Monumental clash. The team settled for a draw and watched a clumsy finish by Agustín Sández ride away on Pablo Solari at the final moment, leaving the result squarely on the table.
The loss leaves the Ribera club 19 points adrift of the top and effectively out of title contention with almost half the Professional League season still to play. Yet the club cannot abandon the chase for the championship entirely, aiming to accumulate as many points as possible for the annual table and a route back to next year’s Copa Libertadores.
With that in mind, Boca prepares to host Belgrano this Sunday, May 14, at 7 pm, on the 16th round of the local competition.
THE BOCA HOME MATCH AGAINST BELGRANO
As if the defeat to River were not hard enough, the trip to Núñez came with a heavy suspension tally. Jorge Almirón faces a five match ban when the Pirate arrives. Miguel Merendiel, Nicolas Valentini and Ezequiel Fernandez were sent off after the brawl sparked by Borja’s goal, and the first two will serve suspensions, while the team will be two players short for the Cordovan challenge. Pol Fernandez and Alan Varela also picked up the fifth yellow card and will miss the Belgrano game.
On the injury front, the coach will be without at least three weeks Valentin Barco and Lautaro Di Lollo, who were both called up by Javier Mascherano to the U 20 World Cup. Four other players remain unavailable through injury this weekend: Marcos Rojo, Luca Langoni, Exequiel Zeballos and Bruno Valdez.
On the positive side, Luis Advincula withdrew from training on Thursday with an adductor tendon issue. The club will monitor him to decide his availability for Sunday. There is better news for the squad as Frank Fabra and Dario Benedetto trained with the group on Tuesday and are expected to be fit for the weekend. Juan Ramirez also rejoined the group on Wednesday, and Martin Payero returns after serving a suspension for the red card against Racing.
In total, the team will line up with at least eleven absences, though the list may grow if recovered players are not fully match ready.
THE BELGRANO GAME PLAN
With so many injuries and suspensions, Almirón faces a real juggling act to assemble the XI for the Cordoba clash. The only certainty from the River match is the absence of Barco, with Fabra set to fill in at right back. The midfield presents the biggest puzzle as Pol, Varela and Equi are suspended. Choices narrow to Diego González or Esteban Rolón, two veterans who have not started a recent match, with Oscar Romero featuring in Thursday’s session and Cristian Medina stepping in as a central midfielder. The other open spot in midfield should go to Payero.
Up front Benedetto looks set to return to partner Luis Vázquez. In training, Briasco appeared to form a striking pair with Pipa Norberto, but the starting option is expected to be Sebastián Villa, who is fighting a flu but active in training. The probable lineup features Sergio Romero in goal; Marcelo Weigandt, Facundo Roncaglia, Nicolás Figal and Frank Fabra in defense; Oscar Romero, Cristian Medina and Martin Payero in midfield; Luis Advincula, Dario Benedetto and Sebastian Villa in attack.
Source: Goal