Boca at home in last 16: what they need to keep playing at La Bombonera | OneFootball

Boca is on fire. The team managed by Claudio Úbeda is now 14 matches unbeaten and, in the middle of a frenzy of wins and positive performances that included a huge Superclásico victory at the Monumental, it secured home-field advantage in the round of 16 and will look to keep it all the way to a possible Torneo Apertura final.

The Xeneize sits top of Zone A with 27 points and only has one match left to play against Central Córdoba in Santiago del Estero, the postponed fixture from Matchday 9. One point ahead is Estudiantes, while Vélez (26) and Talleres (25) follow behind; with El Fortín having a game in hand. Lanús, with 23, is fifth and can no longer catch them. So Boca has guaranteed its place among the top four and will play its first playoff match at La Bombonera.

To lock up home-field advantage all the way to a possible final (which is played at a neutral venue), Boca absolutely needs to finish first or second in its group. With the scoreless draw between El Pincha and La T this Saturday in La Plata, the Córdoba side fell a bit behind in the race. El Fortín, meanwhile, plays Unión on Monday in Liniers and could end the matchday at the top of the table.

In concrete terms, Boca still does not fully control its own fate, but almost. If it beats Central Córdoba, it will reach 30 points and, at worst, finish third. If it fails to pick up points in Santiago del Estero or only comes away with a draw, then it will depend on what its pursuers do.

With still plenty left to be decided, Boca would currently face Barracas Central in the round of 16 at La Bombonera. Of course, that will change over the course of this very matchday and will only be settled after the postponed fixture is played. Meanwhile, the Xeneize is also looking to stay on track for a place in the Copa Libertadores round of 16.

This Tuesday it travels to Brazil to face Cruzeiro, and a good result would already put it with one foot in the next round. With two wins from two matches, it leads Group D and, at this rate, could reach the final matchdays already qualified and with the freedom to rotate some positions so it can tackle the Apertura playoffs with its strongest lineup.

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