Despite the rules, O'Higgins push to face Boca at their ground | OneFootball

Boca is waiting to find out where it will play its match against O'Higgins. The Chilean club has begun formal talks with CONMEBOL with a very clear and important objective. The intention of the Chilean board is to obtain authorization to host the Xeneize at El Teniente Stadium in Rancagua for the Copa Sudamericana playoffs.

The main obstacle to holding the international match at that venue is the strict regulations of the South American governing body. Currently, the stadium has a maximum capacity of 14,087 spectators, while the rules require a minimum of 20,000 for this knockout stage.

Rancagua is a city located in Chile’s well-known Sixth Region, just over 80 kilometers south of Santiago. For Argentine supporters, traveling to the national capital would be much more convenient and would help avoid greater logistical complications.

In addition to the transportation facilities Santiago offers, there is another key factor for visiting fans. A larger stadium in the capital would guarantee a much greater number of tickets for the thousands of Boca supporters who will want to travel and cheer on the team.

El Teniente Stadium, O'Higgins' home ground, holds fewer than 15,000 people.

Matías Ahumada, a well-known businessman and one of the main owners of the Chilean club, spoke publicly about this unusual situation. He explained that the venue meets all the requirements of a modern international stadium, with the only exception being its total capacity.

Aware of these capacity limitations, the Celeste leadership will go all in to secure an extraordinary regulatory exception from the authorities. “Now it depends on CONMEBOL,” the executive said with notable optimism.

The formal request, backed by various structural and security arguments, will be submitted at the headquarters in Luque later this week. The Chilean club is fully confident that “the top-level facilities El Teniente has” will ultimately tip the balance in its favor.

Ahumada also highlighted that the club’s leadership has a very important strategic advantage: how early they are working on the matter. “Time is on our side, we have two months,” the businessman said regarding the timeline they are dealing with before the decisive international clash.

It is worth remembering that O'Higgins was able to play its three home matches of the group stage in Rancagua without any issues. That was solely because, in those early stages of the competition, the minimum required attendance capacity was just 10,000 people.

The stadium where O'Higgins wants to host Boca in the Sudamericana.

As for the official schedule set for this tie, the first leg will be played in Argentina. The opening chapter of this story will take place at La Bombonera during the week of July 22. The Xeneize will have to start at home, since the Chileans have the sporting advantage granted by their second-place finish in the group stage.

Meanwhile, the return leg that will decide which team advances will be held during the week of July 29. That second leg will take place in Chile, at the stadium ultimately chosen by the South American Confederation after evaluating the imminent request.

How Boca and O'Higgins reached the Sudamericana round of 32

The team from La Ribera reached this playoff stage after an uneven performance during its Copa Libertadores campaign. After finishing third in Group D, it was forced to continue its path in the playoffs of this year’s Sudamericana.

Boca will face O'Higgins in search of a place in the round of 16.

On the other side, the Rancagua club earned the right to play in this playoff after completing a strong continental campaign. O'Higgins finished second in Group C, behind only the powerful São Paulo of Brazil, after picking up important points.

Finally, the competitive path is already completely laid out for the club that manages to prevail in this demanding two-legged tie. The winner of the series will face Paraguay’s Deportivo Recoleta in the round of 16.

Keep reading:

Miguel Borja admitted to talks with Marcelo Delgado about playing for Boca

Boca made Claudio Úbeda’s departure official: the statement

Boca confirmed when the budget assembly will be held

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