Lucas Janson could lead the line as Boca’s number 9 in their opener | OneFootball

The unmistakable sign of Miguel Merentiel requesting a substitution against Olimpia immediately caused concern among Claudio Úbeda’s coaching staff and everyone at Boca. The Beast suffered a calf tear and will not make it to the debut, so Xeneize might start the Apertura Tournament against Riestra with Lucas Janson as center forward. Truly unexpected.

Last night, the former Vélez player came on in the 15th minute of the first half in the match against El Decano and had a good game as the attacking reference. In fact, he had two headers that could have ended in goals: one was saved by the opposing goalkeeper and the other hit the crossbar. It was his return after almost four months without playing a single minute in the blue and yellow jersey.

Beyond his positive performance, the concern at Boca is that until recently Janson was a player set to be transferred, he is the fourth option for the position, and they will probably have to turn to him to face Barracas. In Sifón’s pecking order, he is behind Merentiel, always a starter, and Edinson Cavani and Milton Giménez, both ruled out for the debut.

With Merentiel out, the chances increase that the 31-year-old forward, who came up through Tigre, will be a starter again after 11 months (he last started against Aldosivi on February 22) and after having played just 156 minutes spread over six matches in all of 2025. Although he is not a natural number 9, his versatility allows him to adapt to the position with ease.

It’s worth remembering that Janson arrived at Boca in mid-2023 from Vélez, where he became the club’s all-time top scorer in the Copa Libertadores (10 goals in 17 matches). After being a key figure at El Fortín, his career stalled with the move to Xeneize. So far, his time at the club has not lived up to expectations: in two and a half years, he has played only 47 matches, scoring just three goals.

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