Who could Boca face in the Copa Libertadores group stage | OneFootball

The Xeneize will return to this stage after two years and already knows which teams it could face. Due to restrictions based on pots and countries, it avoids crossing paths with three of the strongest Brazilian teams, the two giants from Uruguay, and almost all the Argentine teams.

This Monday, the Conmebol ranking was finalized, and with it, the pots that each team qualified for the next Copa Libertadores will occupy. Even though not all teams have been confirmed yet, Boca already knows it will be a group leader and now has a clearer picture of who its possible rivals might be in a stage it returns to after two years of absence.

Xeneize, fourth in the ranking released by the governing body of South American football, will be in pot 1 along with Flamengo (the most recent champion), Palmeiras, Peñarol, Nacional, Fluminense, Independiente del Valle, and Liga de Quito. If the latter fails to secure its qualification, its spot will go to Libertad of Paraguay.

Boca already knows it will avoid those rivals as well as the rest of the Argentine teams: Lanús, Estudiantes (pot 2), Rosario Central (pot 3), Platense, and Independiente Rivadavia (pot 4). The only national team it could face is Argentinos Juniors, who will play the preliminary phase, and in that case, the rule preventing teams from the same country from facing each other does not apply.

Taking these requirements into account, Boca could face the following rivals in the group stage of the Copa Libertadores:

Who plays the preliminary phase? Argentinos Juniors (Argentina); The Strongest (Bolivia); Bahía and Botafogo (Brazil); O’Higgins and Huachipato (Chile); Universidad Católica (Ecuador); 2 de Mayo and Guaraní (Paraguay); Alianza Lima and Sporting Cristal (Peru); Liverpool and Juventud de Las Piedras (Uruguay); Carabobo and Deportivo Táchira (Venezuela).

This Wednesday, starting at 12:00, the draw for this stage will take place at the Conmebol headquarters in Luque. Once completed, the teams will know their path to the group stage.

The positive for the team led by Claudio Úbeda is that it will avoid three of the most challenging Brazilian teams, the two giants from Uruguay, and the vast majority of Argentine teams, always tough opponents. The downside is that these restrictions increase the chances of visiting the high altitude of Bolivia or making long trips to Colombia or Venezuela.

There is still no confirmed date for the group stage draw, but it is estimated that it will take place at the end of March, once the four teams qualifying through the preliminary stage are known.

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