Milton Giménez set to start in Boca's XI against Barcelona SC | OneFootball

With the regular phase of the Apertura successfully wrapped up and the round of 16 practically set (Huracán would be their opponent there), Boca have already switched into Copa Libertadores mode and traveled to Ecuador early this Monday with Tuesday’s key clash against Barcelona SC in mind. The squad will train in the afternoon in a city under a state of alert due to the curfew, and Claudio Úbeda will confirm the team there, but at this point everything suggests there will be just one forced change compared to those who played against Cruzeiro.

Without Adam Bareiro, suspended after the controversial red card in Brazil, all signs point to Milton Giménez as his replacement. Since the two-striker setup has been working for the Xeneize and the former Banfield forward is also coming in with scoring form after netting in consecutive matches against Defensa y Justicia and Central Córdoba last weekend, the coaching staff view him favorably as Miguel Merentiel’s partner.

Although Exequiel Zeballos is another option, especially after raising his level in Santiago del Estero and returning to a version similar to the one he showed before his injury, for now he is behind mainly for tactical reasons. If Changuito were to play alongside La Bestia, Boca would lack a central reference striker, a trait that has brought them strong returns lately with Bareiro.

In that regard, taking as a reference the defeat to Cruzeiro that left the team from La Ribera second in Group D and needing to go for all three points against Barcelona SC, Úbeda is shaping up just one change. Compared to the alternative lineup against Central Córdoba, meanwhile, there will be nine changes, since only Leandro Brey and the aforementioned Giménez would keep their places.

The likely Boca XI against Barcelona SC Leandro Brey; Marcelo Weigandt, Lautaro Di Lollo, Ayrton Costa, Lautaro Blanco; Santiago Ascacíbar, Leandro Paredes, Milton Delgado, Tomás Aranda; Miguel Merentiel and Milton Giménez.

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