Copa Libertadores: what the path of Boca and River will be like, and who has it more complicated

A new lottery of Libertadores Cup and a new illusion was launched for the two giants of Argentina. This is the Argentine team that has played the most finals (Mouth11 with six titles) and the last champion and finalist of our country (River, 2018 and 2019), perhaps for this reason they arouse so much passion; perhaps the Cup is so coveted by these two teams because in addition to the title it will guarantee a ticket for the 2025 Club World Cup; or maybe it’s because of 18 million dollars which the champion will receive as a reward.

The concrete thing is that after three consecutive editions in which the final was dominated by Brazilian teams, tBoth Boca and River have the seasonal access to the final on November 11 at the Maracaná in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. But the path will not be easy.

The rivalry between River and Boca is measured at all levels and in all sports. If even in the match of the Senior tournament that was played this Sunday in Jujuy there was controversy over a kick from Chelo Delgado (it was a 3-0 victory for Boca), how could there be no competitiveness after the draw: it is that those of River They believe that the Boca area is much more “friendly”, but as is known in this sport, matches are played and won on the pitch.

The course of the river in the Copa Libertadores

Martín Demichelis’ team entered Group D and will play against Fluminense, The Strongest and Sporting Cristal. Regardless of the level of their rivals, the first thing that worried the manager of Núñez’s team was away games.

River will premiere on Tuesday, April 4 at 9pm. against the Bolivian team at the Hernando Siles stadium in La Paz, at an altitude of 3,600 metres. The Strongest arrives as the Bolivian tournament leader and will try to capitalize on his position on the zone’s initial date. Demichelis knows it’s important to start with a win, but also that River hasn’t won at La Paz for more than 50 years.

The last time the millionaire managed to bring a victory to the height of the Bolivian capital was in 1970 against Universitario de La Paz for the Copa Libertadores. After that there were only defeats and draws: 1-1 against Bolívar in 1970, 1-0 against The Strongest, in 1982; 4-1 against Bolívar, in 1991; 4-1 against The Strongest, in 2001; and a 1-1 draw against the Tigerin 2016.

After visiting La Paz, the millionaire will receive the Sporting Cristal in the Más Monumental during the week of April 19. The Peruvian team comes from the elimination of Huracán in the preliminary stage and shows a great level at the hands of the Brazilian coach Tiago Nunes (South American champion with Atlético Paranaense, in 2018). The Peruvian team was the best of their country in the accumulated table, but finished third in the opener and second in the close, so they had to play the repechage.

Then, River will visit Fluminense at the Maracaná in the week of May 3rd. The team from Rio de Janeiro, third in the last Brasileirao, is in full reconstruction, but has managed to sign Marcelo, the former Real Madrid left-back who presents himself as a great figure to accompany the Argentine Germán Cano, top scorer with 26 goals.

River’s participation in group D will close with a visit to Sporting Cristal, in Lima (week of 24/5); and two home games against Fluminense (week 6/7) and The Strongest (week 6/28).

Boca’s journey to the Copa Libertadores

Hugo Ibarra’s side made it to Group F alongside Colo Colo, Monagas from Venezuela and Deportivo Pereira from Colombia. A priori, an accessible group for a club that has held six Copa Libertadores in its history, but hasn’t been able to lift the trophy since 2007.

However, the debut will be Thursday 6 April at 21:00. at the Maturín Monumental Stadium against the Venezuelan team. Those led by Hugo Ibarra will have to travel the 4,958 kilometers that separate the Argentine capital from the ninth most populous city – with 647,459 inhabitants – in Venezuela in just over six hours.

Subsequently, the Bombonera will be the stage to welcome Deportivo Pereira, a team that won its first championship in Colombia in 2022. But the start of the tournament this year does not offer great satisfaction with 3 wins, 2 draws and 5 defeats in the first ten dates. This match will be played during the week of 18 April.

For the third appointment, Boca will visit Colo Colo from Chile in the week of May 2nd. And, of course, the first image that will fly over the memories of fans will be that of Carlos Fernando Navarro Montoya and the German shepherd dog of the Carabineros de Chile who bit him in one of those “epic” battles of the Libertadores from before.

It was a historic night that deposited the Chilean team in the final of the competition. But that left 8 injured and more than 120 detained after a fight of “all against all” in the middle of the playing field. It was at the Monumental Stadium of Santiago in front of 65,000 spectators. After the 3-1 that Raúl Martínez scored for the locals – and which gave them the rankings – barbarism was unleashed: the dog bite of the Boca goalkeeper and the maestro Tabárez covered in blood are two postcards of that black night and unforgettable.

After clashing with Colo Colo, Boca will end their luck in the box after visiting Deportivo Pereira (week of 23/5) and receiving the Chileans (week of 6 June) and Venezuelans (week of 27 June).