First place in Group E will be on the line on matchday five of the Copa Libertadores, as Boca Juniors host Corinthians at La Bombonera in Buenos Aires.
Since losing 2-0 to Timao in late April, the six-time champions of this event have not conceded a goal in five straight matches in all competitions, while Corinthians fought back from a pair of one-goal deficits this past weekend to draw with Internacional 2-2.
Match preview
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One of the most successful clubs in the history of the Copa Libertadores are in a close race with two matches left, as Boca trail Corinthians by a single point for first but are only two points ahead of fourth-place Always Ready.
Sebastian Battaglia saw his team start this tournament poorly, losing two of their first three games by a score of 2-0 each time.
Their former defender, who won this trophy four times as a player with Xeneizes, will not be pleased with the performance that his players displayed over the weekend, as they had a pass accuracy of 70% and failed to fire a single effort on target at home to Racing Club.
They have not conceded on home soil at this phase of the competition since 2019, outscoring their opponents 13-0 over their previous seven Copa Libertadores encounters.
When Boca find themselves in front, they rarely let that lead slip away, failing to lose a match after scoring first since December 2018 when River Plate erased a 1-0 deficit in the second half, knocking them out of this competition, 5-3 on aggregate.
The 34-time champions of Argentina love to press in triangles, which has enabled them to avoid being exposed easily on the counter.
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Time do Povo have started their 2022 campaign brightly, sitting first in the Campeonato Brasileiro Serie A while also advancing into the next round of the Copa do Brasil last week.
Having made the group phase of this tournament for the first time since 2018, Timao will look to do something that they have never done in this competition, defeat Boca Juniors on their home ground.
Corinthians have been the model of consistency when making it to this phase of the tournament, having finished first in their group in every single appearance since coming in second behind Flamengo in 1991.
Manager Vitor Pereira brings an impressive resume to the table, having captured two Primera League titles in Portugal while in charge of FC Porto, and he will look to deliver the first trophy to this team since 2019.
The club from the Tatuape district in Sao Paulo have only dropped one of their last five road fixtures in all competitions, though they have yet to score away from home in their two Group E matches.
Corinthians have tended to filter their play through their attacking midfielders, who have done well to create chances despite being in a narrower setup.
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Team News
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Eduardo Salvio notched the game-winner for Boca against Always Ready on matchday four, his first of the tournament, putting him one back of Dario Benedetto for the team lead, while Oscar Romero and Exequiel Zeballos each have one assist.
Norberto Briasco is out with an ankle problem, Marcelo Weigandt has an ankle sprain, Carlos Izquierdoz is suffering from hip issues and Diego Gonzalez will likely miss this encounter due to a meniscal injury.
On Saturday, Alan Varela scored the winning penalty as they defeated Racing Club 6-5 in a shootout, while Agustin Rossi has maintained five straight shutouts in all competitions.
Maycon notched a brace in the 2-0 win for Corinthians over Boca Juniors in late April, as Cassio stopped all four shots that he faced to collect the clean sheet.
Paulinho is out for the long term because of a ruptured knee ligament, while goals from Raul Gustavo and Jo helped rescue them a single point last weekend as they currently sit a point above the 2021 champions Atletico Mineiro in the Brazilian top flight with a game in hand.
There were three new players in the starting 11 versus Deportivo Cali, as Giuliano, Gustavo Silva, and Gustavo Mantuan replaced Renato Augusto, Adson and Willian, who all started in their victory over Boca.
Boca Juniors possible starting lineup:
Rossi; Fabra, Figal, Zambrano, Advincula; Varela; Zeballos, Campuzano, Romero, Fernandez; Benedetto
Corinthians possible starting lineup:
Cassio; Fabio Santos, Gustavo, Victor, Fagner; Maycon, Queiroz, Augusto; Silva, Jo, Moraes
We say: Boca Juniors 1-0 Corinthians
Home field has been extremely kind to Boca Juniors through the years, and we believe that will continue against a Corinthians side who, while vastly improved from a year ago, have not created a lot on the road of late.
For additional data used by our team to analyse our suggested result please click here.
Top tip
Joel Lefevre
