Ascacibar and Ángel Romero start for Boca: the line-up Úbeda tested | OneFootball

The coach tested the starting eleven with Newell’s in mind and, constrained by the wave of injuries, sped up the adaptation of the new signings: the Russian joins the midfield alongside Paredes and Herrera, while the Paraguayan will be the number 9 due to the lack of offensive alternatives.

The adaptation process that new signings usually need will not follow its usual course if everything goes as expected at Boca Predio. Faced with a flood of absences, especially in the offensive sector, both Santiago Ascacibar and Ángel Romero will not only be called up this Sunday against Newell’s, but they would also be starters. Claudio Úbeda tried them out in the starting eleven during Friday’s training and everything suggests they will take the field immediately: they’re here to play.

Although both joined the squad this week, with just a handful of training sessions, all signs point to them being part of Xeneize’s lineup for the third round of the Torneo Clausura. The case of the Russian is not surprising: he arrived at La Ribera in good form and at a high level from Estudiantes, even having started in the debut against Independiente. The situation is different for the Paraguayan, whose last official match was on December 7.

Of course, there’s an explanation in this second case: Úbeda has no alternatives as a center forward to face Newell’s. In addition to Lucas Janson’s injury, the squad’s “natural number 9s”—Edinson Cavani, Miguel Merentiel, and Milton Giménez—are all ruled out. Thus, Romero will have to immediately take on the responsibility of scoring for Boca.

In this context, the coaching staff’s plan is to speed up the integration of the new signings and put together what today is projected as the ideal midfield: Ascacibar alongside Leandro Paredes and Ander Herrera, who is now ready to return to the starting eleven after resting against Pincha.

The first few matches have been a continuation of the second half of 2025. Although the Basque is the perfect partner for the world champion to move the ball from behind midfield, Boca was missing a midfielder who could break lines, get into the box, and add attacking presence. The former Estudiantes player is here to fill that gap and complete a high-quality trio.

According to what Úbeda set up, the defense will be the same as the one that lost in La Plata, and the wingers accompanying Romero will also be the same: Kevin Zenón, who regained ground after a good match at UNO, and Exequiel Zeballos, currently Xeneize’s most dangerous player.

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