Zeballos and Marchesín train at Boca in Chile, eye v Independiente | OneFootball

At Boca, there are plenty of reasons to look ahead to the end of 2026 with full optimism. The big win over Universidad Católica in their Copa Libertadores opener confirmed the team’s upswing, and this morning, at Palestino’s training ground, two more pieces of good news arrived: Exequiel Zeballos and Agustín Marchesín trained alongside the players who were not in the starting lineup last night. They could be included in the squad for Saturday’s match against Independiente.

Claudio Úbeda’s planning this week has been flawless. In addition to the three vital points earned at San Carlos de Apoquindo (now Claro Arena for commercial reasons), the only concern left is Miguel Merentiel’s pubic pain, which led to his substitution in the second half, while the two injured players who traveled to continue their recovery are on the verge of returning.

The Changuito has now spent more than two months (63 days) out due to a Grade III tear in his left hamstring, and the idea is for him to keep training between now and Saturday so he can be part of the squad for the clash against El Rojo. Of course, if he is available, he will most likely start on the bench and begin to get minutes gradually until he can fight to win back his place, a dilemma the coach will have to resolve.

The goalkeeper, meanwhile, shortened the recovery timeline for his muscle tear, just as he himself had predicted, and is determined to return against the Avellaneda side. In any case, it will depend on how he feels in the days leading up to the Matchday 14 fixture of the Apertura Tournament, since a relapse could rule him out until the end of the semester. In the meantime, Leandro Brey is ready to step in goal.

Úbeda found the team on the fly, and there is no doubt that when Marchesín is back at 100%, he will once again be the first-choice goalkeeper. The change that is harder to predict is Zeballos’s, since the Merentiel–Adam Bareiro partnership is in great form, and youngster Tomás Aranda, who ended up taking over Changuito’s spot, has been one of the team’s standout players.

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