Boca Juniors and River Plate face each other in the Argentine Superclasico on November 1. The derby will be played at the “La Bombonera” stadium from 15:00 local time, or 20:00 Bulgarian time, within the 15th round of the Clausura tournament.
The match is interzonal, as Boca is in zone A, and River – in zone B. The match is among the last major tests before the end of the regular phase and could affect both the group standings and the positions in the overall annual table, which determines the participants in the continental tournaments.
Both teams come after victories
Boca will enter the derby as the leader in the overall annual table with 57 points. The team is third in zone A with 27 points. On October 25, the team won 1-0 away at Independiente. Facundo Herrera scored the only goal with a header in the 88th minute.
River also achieved minimal success in its last match. The team defeated Racing Club 1-0 at the “Monumental“, and Lautaro Rivero brought the three points with a header. Thus, the two teams will meet after victories in their city derbies, with no difference in the break between the matches.
For Boca, the question of the condition of captain Leandro Paredes remains important. The midfielder suffered a muscle injury in October and missed matches, and the final decision on his inclusion in the squad must be made immediately before the match. Tomas Belmonte has returned to training, which increases the options in the middle of the field.
Rematch of the last clash
The last Superclasico took place in April at the “Monumental“ stadium and ended with a 1-0 victory for Boca. Leandro Paredes converted a penalty and brought success to the guests.
According to ESPN data, the official rivalry between the two clubs includes 266 matches. Boca has 94 wins, River has won 88 matches, and 84 matches have ended without a winner. The first official match between them was played on August 24, 1913 and ended with River winning 2:1.
The main referee of the upcoming match will be Nicolás Ramírez. His appointment comes after tension over the refereeing in the last round, when River won against Racing. Boca president Juan Roman Riquelme said: “It is difficult to be a referee in Argentina, every time they lose, they blame him“. His words were related to the reactions to the controversial decisions in the River match.
Boca will rely on home support and the opportunity to increase their lead in the direct rivalry for the year. River will be looking to avenge their loss in April, with Angel Correa, Thiago Almada and Lucas Beltran among the key players in the squad.
Sources: tycsports.com, latinamerica.espnpressroom.com, as.com