Boca Juniors and Colo-Colo return to action in the Copa Libertadores when they go head to head at the Estadio Alberto J. Armando on Wednesday morning.
Having suffered a 2-0 loss in May's reverse fixture, Gustavo Quinteros's men will head into the midweek clash looking to get one over the hosts and get their campaign back on track.
Match preview
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After the opening four games in Group F, Boca Juniors can feel satisfied with their continental run as they sit at the top of the table while losing just one of their opening four matches.
That defeat came in their most recent group outing on May 25, when they were beaten 1-0 by Colombian outfit Deportivo Pereira at the Estadio Hernan Ramirez Villegas.
Former Tigres UANL striker Arley Rodriguez came up clutch for Alejandro Restrepo's side as he came off the bench to grab a 78th-minute winner and end the Argentine side's unbeaten start to the campaign.
Boca Juniors had kicked off their quest for a seventh Copa Libertadores title with a somewhat disappointing goalless draw against Venezuelan side Monagas at the Estadio Monumental de Maturin on April 7.
Jorge Almiron's men quickly found their feet as they picked up a 2-1 home win over Deportivo Pereira in their second outing, two weeks before claiming a more comfortable 2-0 victory over Colo Colo.
Back home, Boca have enjoyed a decent campaign as they sit ninth in the Liga Professional standings, level on 27 points with 10th-placed Newell's Old Boys and 14 points off league leaders River Plate.
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Colo-Colo, on the other hand, head into the final two group games knowing that further slip-ups could put a spanner into the works of their quest for a first knockout-stage appearance in five years.
They last featured in the knockout stages back in 2018, when they reached the quarter-finals before suffering a 4-0 aggregate defeat at the hands of Serie A side Palmeiras.
Quinteros's men have managed just one win in Group F — which came on April 20 when they edged out Monagas 2-0 on home turf — while claiming two draws and losing one of their four games so far.
Colo-Colo were last in action on May 23, when they needed an 86th-minute effort from Marcos Bolados to cancel out Ruben Ramirez's opener and salvage a 1-1 draw against Monagas in the Copa Libertadores.
With that result, Los Albos have now gone three consecutive games without a win, claiming two draws and losing once, while managing one win in their last six outings across all competitions since picking up successive victories in April.
Team News
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Boca Juniors will take to the pitch without the services of Pol Fernandez and Middlesbrough loanee Martin Payero, who are both recuperating from muscle injuries.
They are joined on the hosts' injury table by 21-year-old winger Exequiel Zeballos, who has missed the last 10 matches after coming off with a knee injury against Estudiantes on April 15.
Argentine defender Jorge Figal was hauled off with a 30th-minute injury in last Friday's league game against Arsenal de Sarandi and is a major doubt for Almiron's men.
As for Colo-Colo, Quinteros will be unable to call upon Fabian Castillo, who has been sidelined since picking up a muscle injury in April's clash against Deportivo Pereira.
Veteran goalkeeper Fernando de Paul will also play no part in Wednesday's game due to suspension after picking up a straight red against Monagas last time out.
In his absence, Brayan Cortes should start in goal for the first time since mid-April, with Daniel Gutierrez, Alan Saldivia and Maximiliano Falcon forming the back three.
Boca Juniors possible starting lineup:
Romero; Roncaglia, Advincula, Fabra, Valentini; Medina, Fernandez, Varela; Benedetto, Villa, Briasco
Colo-Colo possible starting lineup:
Cortes; Falcon, Saldivia, D Gutierrez; M Gutierrez, Fuentes, Gil, Pavez; Bouzat, Bolados, Pizarro
We say: Boca Juniors 2-0 Colo-Colo
While Colo-Colo will be looking to arrest their slump and get their campaign back on track, they face a formidable side in Boca Juniors, who are on a run of four straight home wins. With that said, we predict that the Argentine side will see off the visitors and edge closer to a place in the next phase of the competition.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
Top tip
Joshua Ojele
