From Libertadores heartbreak to Club World Cup hope? Boca's big test

Boca Juniors face the Club World Cup as a double-edged sword. On the positive side, a tournament of this level is the perfect stage to put the Copa Libertadores and Argentinian Apertura eliminations behind them. However, if those failures have come, it is because the level of the team is far from the best, which means that qualification in the group stage against the likes of Bayern or Benfica is almost a pipe dream, although Auckland City will, a priori, lower the stakes.

Miguel Angel Russo is the big reason for optimism at La Bombonera and the nail to which Juan Roman Riquelme is clutching at to turn the criticism of many of the fans into applause. The economic aspect, as well as the sporting aspect, is also a stimulus for a club that could do with a good injection of money to strengthen the squad and return to the top of South American football.

The new coach has a squad that has his best players in attack, although the group lacks an idea of the game to follow and deliver. Miguel Merentiel, Edinson Cavani, Carlos Palacios and Milton Gimenez carry much of the weight of a team that does not know if they will be able to count on Ander Herrera, who has missed most of the season through injury.

Squad list

Players to watch

Miguel Merentiel is Boca Juniors' player to watch. The Uruguayan is that attacking player who can play both as a ‘9’ and as a second striker and who combines both quality and the grit that is attached to his passport. This season, he has scored seven goals and provided three assists in 21 official matches. He was the team's top scorer in the Apertura with six goals and sixth in the tournament.

The Uruguayan shares the attack with Edinson Cavani, who has experienced a before and after at La Bombonera. His shocking error under the sticks against Alianza Lima before a penalty shoot-out that left Los Xeneizes without a Libertadores spot-kick has haunted him and earned him the ire of many of the fans. At 38, he arrived to lead the team, but has lacked that extra step at key moments to retain the immense affection he received on his arrival in 2022.

Coach

Miguel Angel Russo arrives to start his third adventure in the Xeneize team. He was already in the dugout at La Bombonera in 2007 and between 2019 and 2021. In his first adventure, he gave Boca Juniors their last Copa Libertadores by beating Gremio 5-0 on aggregate in the two-legged final. In the second, he took Boca to the Libertadores final and won the Superliga.

Russo, who has a great track record in Argentina, was in charge of San Lorenzo when the call came from Riquelme. He had been at Boedo since October 2024 and, after losing in the Apertura semi-finals to Platense, he said yes to a team in need of a game idea to develop. As for his tactical tastes, he moves between the classic 4-4-2 and 4-2-3-1, his preferred formation, especially in recent years. In his last spell at Boca, however, he favoured the 4-4-2.

Group stage fixtures

Matchday 1

Benfica will be Boca Juniors' first opponents in the Club World Cup on Friday 17 June. They are a club with a great track record in Europe, but come in having just missed out on the Portuguese league and cup title. They lost head-to-head with Sporting in both the Portuguese Primera Liga and the Taça, but they have a strong squad with players such as Otamendi, Kokcu, Pavlidis and Akturkoglu. Di Maria, who has returned to Argentina to play for Rosario Central, is no longer with the club.

Matchday 2

If the first matchday was complicated, the second is almost an impossible mission. On Saturday 21 June, Bayern Munich will threaten the Xeneizes' hopes with one of the most feared squads on planet football. With Harry Kane, Jamal Musiala, Leroy Sane and Michael Olise leading the way, they are one of the favourites to win the title after winning the Bundesliga and reaching the quarter-finals of the Champions League.

Matchday 3

Boca will struggle to make it to the third round, but if they do, the outlook will be more than favourable for Miguel Angel Russo's side. Auckland City of New Zealand, who they face on Tuesday 24 June, are, a priori, one of the weakest teams in the competition. Their dominance in the undemanding OFC Champions League (Oceania Confederation) ensures their presence in this tournament, as well as in the new Intercontinental or the old Club World Cup, but, in principle, they are a strong candidate to leave the United States without points.

Possible starting XI​