Zeballos and Marchesín train with Boca in Chile, eye Independiente return | OneFootball

At Boca, there are plenty of reasons to look at the end of this 2026 with full optimism. The big win over Universidad Católica in their Copa Libertadores debut confirmed the team’s upswing, and this morning, at Palestino’s training ground, two more pieces of good news arrived: Exequiel Zeballos and Agustín Marchesín trained alongside the players who were not starters last night. They could be included in the squad for Saturday’s match against Independiente.

Claudio Úbeda’s planning this week has been perfect. In addition to the three vital points earned at San Carlos de Apoquindo (now Claro Arena for commercial reasons), the only concern left is Miguel Merentiel’s pubis pain, which led to him being substituted in the second half, while the two injured players who traveled to continue their recovery are on the verge of returning.

El Changuito has now been out for more than two months (63 days) with a Grade III tear in his left hamstring, and the idea is for him to keep training between now and Saturday so he can be part of the squad for the clash against El Rojo. Of course, if he is available, he will most likely start on the bench to gradually build up minutes until he can compete to win back his place, a dilemma the coach will have to resolve.

Meanwhile, the goalkeeper has shortened the recovery timetable for his muscle tear, just as he himself had expected, and is determined to return against the Avellaneda side. In any case, it remains to be seen how he feels in the days leading up to the Matchday 14 Torneo Apertura fixture, since a relapse could rule him out until the end of the semester. In the meantime, Leandro Brey is ready to step in goal.

Úbeda found the team’s shape on the fly, and there is no doubt that when Marchesín is back at 100%, he will once again be the undisputed first-choice goalkeeper. The change that is harder to predict is Zeballos’s, since the Merentiel–Adam Bareiro duo is in great form, and youngster Tomás Aranda, who ended up taking over El Changuito’s spot, has been one of the team’s standout performers.

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