Ander Herrera leads the race to replace Paredes for Boca against Barracas | OneFootball

After the 5-0 thrashing of Newell’s in the 11th round of the Clausura Tournament, Leandro Paredes boarded a plane and set off for Miami, where the Argentine national team will gather ahead of the friendly matches against Venezuela next Friday at 21:00 and against Puerto Rico the following Tuesday at 20:00. Without their star player and captain, Boca's coaching staff will have to find a substitute for the crucial match against Barracas Central next Saturday at 14:30. What options is Claudio Úbeda considering?

The frontrunner is Ander Herrera, a player who returned in the match against Defensa y Justicia, provoked the penalty for Boca's temporary equalizer, and also played 20 minutes against Lepra. Both appearances, in different match contexts, were good for the Spaniard, whose last appearance was at the start of the Club World Cup against Benfica, more than three months ago.

The Spanish midfielder stands out among his competitors for two main reasons. The first is that, in terms of experience, technique, and hierarchy, he is the most similar to Paredes within the Boca squad. On the other hand, he is a player favored by Miguel Ángel Russo's coaching staff. The coach spoke highly of him when he took over and wanted Ander to be the team's axis during the Club World Cup. A tear 19 minutes into the opening match kept him out of the tournament and only now are they able to recover him.

The second option is Chilean Williams Alarcón, an important substitute for the La Ribera team. The former Huracán player is usually one of the first options when it comes to making substitutions, in fact, he has come on in 10 of the 11 Clausura matches. He usually replaces the current offensive midfielder (be it Carlos Palacios or Alan Velasco) and leans on the right side.

Although he has played as a double five at Globo, the coaching staff prioritizes other characteristics for that position, which is why the player from Colo-Colo's youth ranks is behind Herrera.

With Milton Delgado playing in the U-20 World Cup with Argentina, the other two options for Boca are Tomás Belmonte and Ignacio Miramón. Toto, an important piece for Fernando Gago, lost ground after the Club World Cup; while the former Gimnasia player hasn't played since the victory over Estudiantes in the Apertura Tournament on April 19. Although both could be on the bench, it's very unlikely they will start against Barracas.

Boca will face a key match against Guapo. The thrashing of Newell’s allowed them to climb to the top of Zone A due to goal difference and also to be second in the annual table, one point above River. However, both tables are very close and not winning against the team managed by Rubén Darío Insua could mean losing the privileged position they acquired. Boca, without their main figure, will have to show character in the always difficult Claudio Chiqui Tapia.

This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇪🇸 here.