Why Boca and Riestra are cheering for River in the Copa Argentina | OneFootball

River and Independiente Rivadavia will face each other this Friday from 10:15 PM in Córdoba for the semifinal of the Copa Argentina. The winner will play in the final against Argentinos Juniors, who defeated Belgrano 2-1 and are already waiting for their opponent. But beyond the sporting interest, there are other clubs paying close attention to the outcome.

Boca and Deportivo Riestra, two of the teams fighting to qualify for next year’s Copa Libertadores, would benefit if Marcelo Gallardo’s team wins. If River beats La Lepra, both the Xeneize and the Malevo could benefit in the Annual Table that awards spots to the top continental tournament.

Currently, Rosario Central leads the overall standings with 59 points, followed by River with 52, Argentinos with 51, Riestra with 51, and Boca with 50. If the Núñez side stays in the direct qualification zone for the Copa and also wins the Copa Argentina, the spot reserved for the champion will be “freed up” for the top three in the overall table.

In that scenario, the federal tournament champion—already qualified—and the top three in the Annual Table will go directly to the Libertadores. Thus, the third place team (currently Riestra) would go to the group stage, and the fourth (Boca, with one game in hand against Barracas Central) would play the preliminary round.

The truth is that if Boca (or Riestra, for that matter) overtakes River in the annual table, whatever River does in the Copa Argentina would not affect them at all, since they would depend on themselves to qualify for the next major continental event. In the current scenario, however, River’s passage to the final gives Xeneize a greater chance to achieve their goal.

On the other hand, if Independiente Rivadavia eliminates River, for a spot to be freed up, Argentinos Juniors would have to remain among the top three in the annual table and win the championship, thus freeing up a place for Boca and Riestra to stay in a good position. If the team from Mendoza is crowned champion, the story will be different.

Additionally, Friday’s result will also impact qualification for the Copa Sudamericana. If champions repeat or teams already qualified through other means win, more spots will be freed up down to 13th place in the annual table. That’s why, at the Bombonera and at Guillermo Laza, everyone will be cheering for River in this tournament.

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