After the Superclásico, Claudio Úbeda weighs up rotating at Boca | OneFootball

After the win in the Superclásico, Claudio Úbeda is planning to change almost the entire team for Thursday’s visit to Defensa y Justicia in the 2026 Apertura Tournament. The main objective: to arrive fresh for the cup clash against Cruzeiro in Brazil.

The joy from the win over River at the Monumental can still be felt in the hallways of Boca Predio, but the demanding schedule offers no break. El Sifón has already turned the page and is focused exclusively on Boca’s next match. This Thursday, April 23, Xeneize will visit Defensa y Justicia in Florencio Varela for the 2026 Apertura Tournament, and the head coach plans to make major changes to the lineup.

Although the coach has not yet settled on a definitive starting eleven at the Ezeiza training ground, he has made one thing clear: he will go with massive rotation. The decision has a clear strategic reason: to preserve the legs of the usual starters so they arrive in optimal physical condition for the crucial match on Tuesday, April 28 against Cruzeiro in Brazil in the Copa Libertadores.

Claudio Úbeda would change almost the entire team that started the Superclásico.

The coaching staff’s idea is to replicate the strategy they already used, with positive results, against Talleres and Independiente on previous matchdays. Úbeda wants to change almost the whole team to give playing time and quality minutes to players who are usually substitutes.

In this way, the vast majority of the players who earned the three points in the Superclásico will get a rest and, at best, be on the bench against the Varela Falcon.

Claudio Úbeda’s possible lineup

While the team has not yet been confirmed and Úbeda is expected to fine-tune the details in the coming training sessions, there is already a fairly clear picture of the names that will take the field. The only player who would remain untouched in the starting lineup compared to the match against River is goalkeeper Leandro Brey.

Pending official confirmation, the likely alternative lineup Boca is preparing would be: Leandro Brey; Juan Barinaga, Nicolás Figal, Marco Pellegrino, Malcom Braida; Ander Herrera, Camilo Rey Domenech, Tomás Belmonte, Alan Velasco; Ángel Romero and Milton Giménez.

After some back and forth, Boca will have away fans in Varela

In the end, Boca will be able to bring away fans to Thursday’s match, which kicks off at 8 p.m. against Defensa y Justicia at the Tito Tomaghello stadium. The municipality initially refused to allow the presence of Xeneize supporters for security reasons, but it will ultimately provide the guarantees needed for the game to be played with both sets of fans.

Boca will have the support of its fans in Varela.

Tickets will cost 80,000 pesos each for the general admission seats available to fans who want to support the team. Around 3,000 tickets will go on sale for supporters of the blue-and-gold side.

Keep reading:

Boca will be allowed to bring away fans to Varela against Defensa y Justicia

When and what time Boca vs. River reserve Superclásico will be played

Neither Riquelme nor Cavani: the unexpected factor that sped up Leandro Paredes’ return to Boca

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