Católica win shifts Boca plans: rotate v Central Córdoba, best v Barça SC | OneFootball

After the defeat against Cruzeiro in Belo Horizonte, Universidad Católica’s win over Barcelona SC was no ordinary result: it completely reshaped Copa Libertadores Group D and left Boca in a position that forces them to adjust their planning on the fly. With all the teams tightly packed in the standings, the margin for error shrank more than expected.

Given this new scenario, Claudio Úbeda made a strong decision: he will rotate all the starters for this Saturday’s match against Central Córdoba in Santiago del Estero. The priority is clear: arrive in Guayaquil with the best possible squad, where the Xeneize will go in search of three points against the weakest rival in order to breathe again in a group that has become red-hot.

The change in context is total. Until a few days ago, alone at the top, Úbeda could manage workloads with more room to spare, but the extreme parity after the third Libertadores matchday changed the equation. Now, there is no room for speculation: Boca need physical freshness and maximum concentration for a clash that could set the course in the Cup.

In addition, the fact that they have dropped behind Universidad Católica in the standings — despite being level on points — adds pressure to the immediate objective. A stumble in Ecuador could leave them in an uncomfortable position heading into the final matchdays.

Thus, the combination of the loss in Brazil plus an unexpected result elsewhere ended up fully shaping Boca’s schedule. From planned rotation to a change in priorities: everything points to Tuesday, in a match that has taken on huge importance.

Why Boca dropped to second place in the Copa Libertadores group For this edition, Conmebol decided to change the tiebreaking criteria when two or more teams are level on points, and that is why the Chilean side leads the group, even though the Xeneize beat them.

Previously, the first tiebreaker was overall goal difference in the entire group, but now the head-to-head criterion is used: the first things taken into account are the matches between the tied teams, goal difference, and goals scored, but only among the teams involved.

Boca beat Universidad Católica 2-1, Daniel Garnero’s team beat Cruzeiro in Brazil by the same score, and the Belo Horizonte side defeated the Xeneize 1-0. In this way, in the matches among the three teams, all of them have three points and a +1 goal difference.

The third criterion is goals scored in the matches among those three teams, and that is where the Chileans have the edge: they have three, while Boca and Cruzeiro scored only two.

The tiebreaker between Boca and Cruzeiro goes to the fourth criterion, and that is where overall goal difference in the group comes into play, which favors the Xeneize because of the thrashing of Barcelona at La Bombonera. That is why Claudio Úbeda’s side are second.

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