With just one signing: Boca's line-up vs Sarmiento in Copa Argentina | OneFootball

Boca’s official debut this semester will come amid the anticipation surrounding Rodolfo Arruabarrena’s first match on the bench and with the certainty that only one new signing will take the field against Sarmiento in Rosario. After an intense preseason and with a demanding schedule ahead, the club from La Ribera is playing for qualification in the Copa Argentina in the middle of a highly turbulent transfer window.

The Boca side travels to Rosario with the unavoidable objective of sealing a place in the round of 16 of the federal competition. This match against the Verdolaga, scheduled for this Thursday at 9:45 p.m. at the Marcelo Bielsa Coloso Stadium, will mark the start of the Vasco’s second spell in charge of the blue-and-gold institution. The coach had to deal with setbacks in putting together the starting XI due to late clearances and unfortunate injuries.

The presence of Leandro Lozano stands out most of all in the starting lineup, the Uruguayan full-back who arrived from Argentinos Juniors and for whom the board paid a net fee of $3.5 million. His presence on the right flank responds to the tactical urgency of filling a position that was heavily thinned out by the departures of Juan Barinaga and Marcelo Weigandt. Lozano is thus shaping up to be the only new face to get minutes from the start on Santa Fe soil.

Vasco Arruabarrena has his team set for the match against Sarmiento.

By contrast, the other signings from this winter break had to remain in Buenos Aires. Neither Colombian goalkeeper Álvaro Montero nor forward Sebastián Villa, who arrived in the country, could be registered in time for this knockout tie.

Surprises and absences in Boca’s starting XI

The Xeneize’s tactical setup will feature mostly familiar names. Leandro Brey will remain between the posts. The back line will be made up of Nicolás Figal and Ayrton Costa, while Leandro Lozano and Lautaro Blanco will play out wide. In midfield, the experience of Santiago Ascacíbar and the freshness of Milton Delgado will look to bring balance to a vertical attack led by Alan Velasco, Tomás Aranda, Leonel Flores, and top scorer Miguel Merentiel.

The Xeneize is coming off the end of its preseason with a friendly against Paranaense.

Match details

Keep reading:

It’s official: Tomás Aranda, Boca’s new No. 10

The signings arrived late: Álvaro Montero and Sebastián Villa are not traveling to Rosario with Boca

Arruabarrena’s first official squad list: Boca’s call-ups vs. Sarmiento

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