River and Boca could meet in the Copa Sudamericana semi-finals | OneFootball

Boca’s unexpected elimination from the Copa Libertadores after the defeat against Universidad Católica at La Bombonera opened up an unthinkable scenario at the start of the year: there could be a Superclásico on the international stage. Today’s draw in Luque, Paraguay, determined that River and Boca could meet in the semifinals of the tournament.

The first thing that has to happen for a clash between the two giants of Argentine football is for the team from La Ribera to get past its head-to-head tie against O’Higgins. The first leg will be played at La Bombonera between Tuesday, July 21, and Thursday, July 23 (immediately after the World Cup), while the return leg will be played away the following week, from July 27 to 29.

If Boca gets through that stage, only then would it enter the round of 16, where it would face Recoleta of Paraguay. In that same round, River would wait for the winner between Independiente Santa Fe and Caracas. If both win, they will face a tough quarterfinal challenge: Xeneize would take on Bolívar/Gremio or São Paulo, while in Núñez they would wait for Independiente Medellín/Vasco da Gama or Olimpia. If one wins its three head-to-head ties and the other wins its two knockout rounds, then there will be a Superclásico in the semifinals.

River’s advantage is that in all of these ties it would play the second leg at the Monumental. Having finished as the second-best group winner in the group stage would only cost it home advantage against Botafogo (the best), but the Brazilians are on the other side of the bracket and therefore would only meet them in a final. Boca, on the other hand, would only play the second leg at La Bombonera against Bolívar (a potential quarterfinal) or against Independiente Medellín.

If a clash between the two giants of Argentine football does happen, it would be only the second time this has occurred in the Copa Sudamericana. Coincidentally, the previous time was also in the semifinals: in 2014, River prevailed 1-0 on aggregate thanks to Leonardo Pisculichi’s goal in the second leg at the Monumental. They would then go on to be crowned champions by defeating Atlético Nacional 2-0 in the final.

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