One of the picks of the Copa Sudamericana round-of-32 ties sees Independiente Del Valle taking on Boca Juniors, with the first leg set to get underway on Thursday morning.
Estadio Banco Guayaquil will host the first leg of this encounter before we head to La Bombonera next week, and the winner across the two matches will move on to face Cruzeiro in the round of 16.
Match preview
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Independiente Del Valle were drawn into one of the most wide-open groups in this year's Copa Libertadores and missed out on qualifying for the knockout round by a single point behind San Lorenzo.
However, while continental cup results may have brought some disappointment, Los Negriazules have been flying domestically, currently sitting atop the Liga Pro standings, four points clear of Barcelona SC at the midway point of the season.
Javier Gandolfi's side are also the only ones in the Ecuadorian top flight that have not lost a single match in the first half of the league campaign and were on a three-match winning streak ahead of the international break.
Of course, the big question will now be if they can hit the ground running, having played their last competitive match on June 3, which ended in a 1-0 victory over Orense at home.
That victory over Los Bananeros was, however, the side's 14th consecutive league match without defeat, while their only home loss in their last 18 in all competitions was against Brasilero champions Palmeiras.
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The hosts' home record does not bode well for Boca Juniors here, considering the Primera Division outfit have lost five of their last eight away games and have not won back-to-back matches on the road this year.
Los Xeneizes have also made a mixed start to the 2024 league season, earning seven points from their first five matches, which sees them sat in 11th place, already trailing the top three teams by six points.
However, despite their inconsistency domestically, Diego Martinez's side enjoyed an impressive group stage in this competition, conceding just one loss in their six games to finish just two points behind Fortaleza.
One major positive for the visitors will be that they have had a significantly shorter break than their opponents, with their last match played on June 20, more than two weeks after Los Negriazules' last competitive outing.
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Team News
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Independiente Del Valle have a few notable absentees at present, including Jose Klinger, Youri Ochoa and Joan Lopez, all of whom are facing extended periods on the sideline due to serious ligament injuries.
Junior Sornoza will play no part in this round owing to a torn muscle, while centre-forward Alexander Bolanos and midfielder Bryan Garcia are ineligible for selection due to suspension.
Boca Juniors are also missing a few big names for this match, none more so than former PSG and Manchester United striker Edinson Cavani, who is also forced to sit out through suspension.
Lucas Blondel has not featured for the side since March when he sustained a cruciate ligament tear. Jabes Saralegui and Luis Advincula both carried injuries into the international break and are flagged as doubts.
Independiente del Valle possible starting lineup:
Ramirez; Landazuri, Carabajal, Schunke, Medina; Paez, Ortiz, Alcivar; Re. Ibarra, Diaz, Ro. Ibarra
Boca Juniors possible starting lineup:
Romero; Figal, Lema, Rojo, Blanco; Medina, G. Fernandez, I. Fernandez, Zenon; Merentiel, Janson
We say: Independiente del Valle 1-1 Boca Juniors
While the hosts enter this match with the better form line, they have not played in almost two months and may just need this match to find top gear.
Boca Juniors, while not at their best domestically this season, have turned up in this competition and we feel they will keep the tie level, giving them something to take back to Buenos Aires next week.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
Devesh Jaganath
