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Match Preview: Boca Juniors host River Plate looking for a Copa Libertadores final

By Mahonri Mendoza

Players of Boca Juniors (blue and yellow), River Plate (red stripe) and the referees pose for pictures before the start of their all-Argentine Copa Libertadores semi-final first leg football match at the Monumental stadium in Buenos Aires, on October 1, 2019. - The banner reads "Football is a Game, Violence is Not." (Photo by Alejandro PAGNI / AFP) (Photo by ALEJANDRO PAGNI/AFP via Getty Images)
Players of Boca Juniors (blue and yellow), River Plate (red stripe) and the referees pose for pictures before the start of their all-Argentine Copa Libertadores semi-final first leg football match at the Monumental stadium in Buenos Aires, on October 1, 2019. - The banner reads "Football is a Game, Violence is Not." (Photo by Alejandro PAGNI / AFP) (Photo by ALEJANDRO PAGNI/AFP via Getty Images) /
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Twenty-one days after their defeat in El Monumental, Boca Juniors in front of their crowd in La Bombonera will look to turn things around against River in their favor to clinch the Copa Libertadores Final.

Boca Juniors hosts will host River Plate on Tuesday night for the chance to redeem themselves against their eternal rivals. Following the loss on October first in El Monumental, Boca needs to turn around a 2-0 aggregate score to see themselves in the final.

Following the horrific events that took place between these two last year in the Copa Libertadores Final, where Boca lost to River Plate in the Santiago Bernabéu Stadium, Boca is looking to put that in the past and create a chapter in the many of clashes between these two.

Eliminating River will be amazing and all, but people still will question it and bring up the fact that River beat them in the Libertadores Final. That moment will forever haunt them, beating them in front of their people will be a start to the era of erasing that moment from their minds.

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El Monumental saw their team win against their eternal rivals by a two-goal margin, Marcelo Gallardo and his players would work up to spoil the Xeneizes’ hopes of turning the score around. With a two-goal lead, the plan for Gallardo’s men is to score as early as possible that could obligate Boca to open up their field more in look for not only two goals to tie the game, but four goals to eliminate River out of the competition.

Three goals will not be enough to eliminate River if they do score, because of the away-goal rule. Boca will need to score two goals quickly, and not concede any to tie the game on the aggregate score at least. Achieving that result will send the game into overtime, which could, at that moment, be anybody’s game regardless of what they have done throughout both legs.

Boca hosting River in their previous encounters has not been the greatest for the Xeneizes, as they have not beaten Los Millionariossince May of 2015. Boca has only managed to score a total of five goals in six games at La Bombonera. They have conceded a total of seven goals in their previous encounters.

Boca will now need to be focused more than ever if they dream of going to the Estadio Nacional Julio Martínez Prádanos in Chile, this will be a tough game for both sides to overcome the other to secure their spot in the Final.

Boca will look to turn their luck against their opponents in search of another Copa Libertadores Final, while River will plan to give yet another upset to their eternal rivals. The winner of this match will wait to see what happens in the other semifinal bracket as Flamengo hosts Grêmio, who are tied 1-1 on aggregate.

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This game is undoubtedly one to watch because of the history that these two teams bring to the world of football. Their rich rivalry will make the world stop and appreciate a great game between these rivals on the field.

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