Lucas Janson could lead the line for Boca in their opener | OneFootball

The unmistakable sign of Miguel Merentiel's request for a change against Olimpia caused immediate concern for Claudio Úbeda's coaching staff and all of Boca. The Beast suffered a calf tear and will not make it to the debut, so Xeneize might start the Apertura Tournament against Riestra with Lucas Janson as the center forward. Truly unexpected.

Last night, the former Vélez player entered at the 15th minute of the first half against the Decano and had a good match as the attack leader. In fact, he had two headers that could have ended in goals: one was saved by the opposing goalkeeper and the other hit the crossbar. It was his return after almost four months without even playing a minute in the blue and yellow jersey.

Beyond his positive performance, the concern at Boca is that until recently, Janson was a player to be transferred, he is the fourth option in the position, and they will probably have to rely on him to face Barracas. In Sifón's priority, he is behind Merentiel, who is always a starter, and Edinson Cavani and Milton Giménez, both ruled out for the debut.

With Merentiel ruled out, the chances increase for the 31-year-old forward, who emerged at Tigre, to be a starter again after 11 months (he started against Aldosivi on February 22) and after having completed just 156 minutes divided into six matches in all of 2025. Although he is not a natural number 9, his versatility allows him to adapt to the position comfortably.

It is worth remembering that Janson arrived at Boca in mid-2023 from Vélez, where he became the club's top scorer in Copa Libertadores history (10 goals in 17 matches). After being a key player for Fortín, his career stalled with the move to Xeneize. So far, his time at the club has not been as expected: in two and a half years, he has only played 47 matches, with just three goals.

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