Boca Juniors and Banfield face off this Saturday at 19:00 local time at the Estadio Malvinas Argentinas in Mendoza, with a spot in the Copa Argentina final on the line, TyC Sports reported.
The winner of the semifinal will advance to meet Platense, who already secured a place in the title match by defeating Atlético Tucumán on penalties, according to Gente de Salta. Boca arrives in Mendoza following a hard-fought league title clinched in the annual standings, while Banfield looks to salvage a difficult season after finishing twelfth in Zona B of the Clausura with just 15 points.
Left-back Lautaro Blanco has been left off the squad list due to physical exhaustion from a heavy workload in the second semester, with the coaching staff opting to preserve him for the upcoming Copa Sudamericana final against Atlético Mineiro on November 21, TyC Sports noted. Malcom Braida is expected to step into the starting eleven in Blanco’s absence.
🔜 ¡𝗣𝗥𝗢́𝗫𝗜𝗠𝗢 𝗣𝗔𝗥𝗧𝗜𝗗𝗢! ⚽️#CopaArgentina 🆚 Banfield 🗓 Sábado 14/11 🕙 19:00 🏟 Estadio Malvinas Argentinas 💻 @ElCanaldeBoca #DaleBoca 🔵🟡🔵 pic.twitter.com/REf1ZlaeQJ
Midfielder Santiago Ascacíbar has also been a major concern after suffering a heavy challenge from Valentín Loza, reports indicate. Although a knee sprain initially put his availability in doubt, the midfielder trained normally on Friday and is expected to start, though Tomás Belmonte remains ready to step in if needed.
The semifinal kicks off at 19:00 UTC-3 at the Estadio Malvinas Argentinas. The match will be broadcast live on TyC Sports, with Nazareno Arasa serving as the referee and Lucas Novelli operating the VAR, Gente de Salta reported.
Probable formations feature Álvaro Montero in goal for Boca, alongside a defense of Leandro Lozano, Lautaro Di Lollo, Facundo Herrera, and Malcom Braida; a midfield featuring Santiago Ascacíbar, Leandro Paredes, and Milton Delgado; and an attack led by Sebastián Villa, Miguel Merentiel, and Alan Velasco.
Banfield is expected to line up with Diego Rodríguez under the posts; Ignacio Abraham, Nicolás Meriano, Santiago Daniele, and Juan Luis Alfaro in defense; Tomás Adoryan, Brandon Oviedo, and Lautaro Gómez in midfield; and David Zalazar, Adrián Balboa, and Federico Medina up front, according to sources.
The two clubs have met only once previously in the history of the Copa Argentina tournament. That lone prior encounter took place in 2015 in the northern province of Formosa, where Boca defeated Banfield 3-0 under then-coach Rodolfo Arruabarrena with goals from Pablo Pérez, Jonathan Calleri, and Carlos Tevez, El Gráfico noted.
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