Boca and Estudiantes will chase continental glory in Brazil
Injuries and controversies complicate matters for the two Argentine clubs facing semifinals in the Sudamericana and Libertadores La entrada Boca and Estudiantes will chase continental glory in Brazil se publicó primero en Buenos Aires Herald .
Boca Juniors and Estudiantes de La Plata are the only Argentine clubs still in contention for international trophies this season, with Boca pursuing a Maracanazo in the Copa Sudamericana and Estudiantes striving for a finals berth in the Copa Libertadores. Both teams face daunting challenges in their upcoming second legs next week.
Boca's journey in the Copa Sudamericana began poorly, as they suffered a 1-0 home defeat to Vasco da Gama on Tuesday, with forward Andrés Gómez receiving a red card in the 65th minute. Despite this setback, Boca managed to create scoring opportunities but ultimately failed to find the net. The team's star midfielder, Leandro Paredes, who suffered a grade II muscle tear during a recent draw against Instituto, is being assessed for a possible early return from injury, which could significantly impact Boca's prospects.
For Boca to advance to the final, they must secure a victory by at least two goals in the Maracanã rematch against Vasco da Gama on Tuesday, October 20, at 9:30 p.m. Argentine time. The match will be broadcast on ESPN and streamed on Disney+.
Estudiantes de La Plata, meanwhile, finds themselves in a similar predicament in the Copa Libertadores, needing a win against Brazil's Flamengo to progress. The Pincha drew 0-0 with Flamengo in their first leg at home, leaving the second leg a crucial test of their mettle. Coached by Alexander "Cacique" Medina, Estudiantes managed to neutralize a Flamengo side that had gone unbeaten in their previous nine matches across all competitions.
However, Estudiantes faces a setback as CONMEBOL has rejected their request to include recent signing Marcos Rojo in the squad. Rojo, who joined Estudiantes on October 9 after receiving the Argentine Football Association's approval, is now eligible to play in all remaining Argentine domestic competitions. Yet, CONMEBOL maintains that FIFA's Regulations on the Status and Transfer of Players prohibit such registrations outside the transfer window, following only the termination of a contract.
Estudiantes plans to appeal the decision to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS), arguing that the Copa Libertadores operations manual allows for the registration of any player already registered with their domestic association. The match between Estudiantes and Flamengo will be played on Thursday, October 22, with kickoff at 9:30 p.m. Argentine time, broadcast live on Fox Sports and streamed on Disney+ Premium.
Written by urgent.news from Buenos Aires Herald's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
