Úbeda: Ángel Romero may debut for Boca v Newell’s, wait and see | OneFootball

With just a handful of training sessions dressed in blue and gold, the chance for Ángel Romero to debut with Boca's jersey this Sunday against Newell’s has gone from unthinkable to concrete. Claudio Úbeda anticipated this in a conference where there was not only a lot of self-criticism after the defeat against Estudiantes but also a marked lament over the large number of injuries affecting the squad.

Although the coach tried to convey some optimism with an “I hope some of the starters can be there on Sunday,” he later acknowledged that the physical outlook of the injured players is complex and hinted that the Paraguayan will need to be ready to play.

“We will see in these days how they continue to evolve and how Romero responds to the possibility of him being the one to fill that spot,” Úbeda stated, referring to the absence of a number 9 due to the injuries of Edinson Cavani, Miguel Merentiel, Milton Giménez, and Lucas Janson, who are practically ruled out to face the Lepra.

As soon as he set foot in Argentina, Romero expressed his enthusiasm for wearing Boca's jersey after an irregular 2025 with Corinthians, but now he must prove he is fit to step onto the field immediately due to Xeneize's urgency. This Thursday, he played football, as did Santiago Ascacibar, and his starting position this weekend is a very feasible possibility.

His last official match was on December 7, 2025, and during January he trained on his own after parting ways with Timao, a scenario far from ideal in terms of football rhythm, although the coaching staff trusts in his quality. In the last season, he played 74 matches, scored five goals, and provided three assists, with four of those goals in the Paulista Championship.

After the controversial end to his stay at San Lorenzo and a one-year stint at Cruz Azul, Romero returned to wear the Brazilian team's jersey for the 2023 season, a club he played for between 2014 and 2018. Except for a period when he was not a starter under Vanderlei Luxemburgo's management in mid-year, the former Cerro Porteño was a regular in the starting eleven of the Paulista squad until mid-2025 with the arrival of Dorival Júnior.

Despite being the team captain, a goal drought and a red card against Juventude on August 11 resulted in the definitive loss of his place in the starting team. He only returned to the lineup on December 7, also against Juventude, in the last round of the Brasileirao; an alternative team on the eve of the first semifinal of the Copa de Brasil against Cruzeiro.

That tournament won by Corinthians was lifted by Romero, who did not play a single minute in the two semi-final games against Cabuloso, nor in the first or second leg of the final against Vasco da Gama, an ending without participation for a season that went from more to less.

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