The other Superclásico: Acuña v Blanco, for a World Cup spot? | OneFootball

This Sunday from 5 p.m., River and Boca will go head-to-head at the Monumental Stadium in a new edition of the Argentine football Superclásico. Among the many elements that make up a match of this magnitude, a separate battle opens up that could be crucial: the duel between a declining Marcos Acuña and a rising Lautaro Blanco, with the latter looking to snatch from his rival a spot on Lionel Scaloni’s list for the 2026 World Cup.

El Huevo, now 34, is far from the great version he showed last season, to the point of being heavily criticized toward the end of Marcelo Gallardo’s spell and even missing several matches this season for various reasons: two through injury at the start of the Apertura Tournament, another because of the flu, and the match against Belgrano due to yellow-card accumulation. In the Copa Sudamericana, he also missed one game through suspension, while in the other he played only 14 minutes because of rotation. Of course, he remains a starter in Eduardo Coudet’s plans and his worst slump is already behind him, but his performances have dipped in a way that comes with age.

By contrast, the upturn of Claudio Úbeda’s team has maximized Blanco’s level, a left back who, like the former Racing player, specializes in getting forward and joining the attack—traits that fit Argentina’s national team style.

At Boca’s worst moment in the league, Blanco emerged as one of the main outlets to relieve pressure, and that did not help him, but with the emergence of Tomás Aranda and Santiago Ascacíbar in midfield and Adam Bareiro as a dangerous weapon in the box, he raised his level, becoming the top assist provider in the current Copa Libertadores with three assists in two matches. A statistic that surpasses the lone assist handed out by his River counterpart this year.

As things stand, the only left back almost officially on board the Scaloneta for the next World Cup is Nicolás Tagliafico, who, although he is not going through his best spell at Olympique Lyon, has his place guaranteed by his experience, intelligence, and constant involvement in the demanding environment of European football. It is worth noting that another player with a strong chance of joining is Valentín Barco, but since leaving Boca, Colo has no longer played as a full-back; instead, his game has undergone a metamorphosis and he is now one of the best midfielders in Ligue 1 with Racing Strasbourg.

One sign that Acuña’s presence in the United States is not guaranteed was the call-up of Gabriel Rojas during the last FIFA international window. The Racing player had been delivering top-level performances, but he suffered an injury that has kept him off the pitch since then, giving the man from the Ribera club a bit of a break.

If he puts in a strong performance in a Superclásico that will have all eyes on it, it would not be strange for Blanco—who was called up by Scaloni in 2023—to begin opening a window of opportunity that allows him to gain ground in the fight for a ticket to the World Cup.

In that sense, if it happens, it would not be the first time in history that a Superclásico proves decisive for a World Cup call-up: before the 1994 tournament, Ariel Ortega shone against Boca, “danced around” Carlos Mac Allister in River’s 2-0 win, and both men were effectively judged by that performance. Or at least, that is how it seemed. Why? Although in this case they played different positions, El Burrito earned the call-up and Colo, who had been a regular under Alfio Basile, ultimately was not selected to wear Argentina’s colors in the United States.

“El Burrito drove me crazy in just one match, the one in 1994. That was the only time Ortega played well when we faced each other. What I lacked was being nasty. I should have kicked him hard even if I got sent off. But I didn’t do it because it wasn’t my style, I wasn’t dirty. I was never going to hurt anyone when I played. Much less a national-team teammate like Ariel. He was brilliant and I didn’t do what Valdano describes as ‘keeping intact a degree of criminality that every player has to have.’ Valdano says that, not me,” Mac Allister revealed some time ago in an interview with TNT Sports.

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