The superclásico will be upon us in around four and a bit hours, at 7pm local time (10pm Greenwich Mean Time) with Argentina’s two biggest clubs doing battle in what has become a mediocre middle-of-the-table clash, but which will grab all the attention of the country’s football-watching public anyway. The latest indications are that each team’s most important player will play, after a late injury scare for one of them during the week: Juan Román Riquelme has shaken off a knock in training to feature for Boca, and Matías Almeyda returns after a spell out injured for River. Former Boca defender Jonatan Maidana is also in the River lineup, whilst Jesús Méndez, the midfielder who started out at River, is playing for Boca. Both XIs are right here…
Apologies for the shirts, but they were the closest This11 had. River, of course, are in red and white stripes, whilst Boca are portrayed in the traditional blue and gold… um… hoops.
River’s 4-4-2 is as likely to turn into a 4-2-3-1 at times, since both wide men are considerably more attacking than Matías Almeyda and Walter Acevedo in the middle, and Ariel Ortega will drop off from the front line.
Juan Román Riquelme is in for Boca after returning ten days ago against Argentinos Juniors, and the introduction of Pablo Mouche to replace Lucas Viatri will add some much-needed pace (if, it’s true, a massive dash of utter, utter idiocy) to Boca’s strikeforce.
River defender Jonatan Maidana, and Boca midfielder Jesús Méndez, have both played for the clubs they’re playing against; as have the managers of both teams, Boca’s Claudio Borghi and River’s J.J. López (albeit very briefly).
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Hasta El Gol Siempre 
Incredible that Lucchetti and Borghi have a falling out right before the River match. Maybe he has, but I can’t remember Garcia setting foot on the pitch yet this tournament. And yes, King of the Knuckleheads, Pablo Mouche, makes what I believe is is first start of the tournament today.
I have liked Borghi for a long time but this Lucchetti situation and then the decision to start Mouche ??!! If you are going to start Mouche for additional pace and variety now, why could that not have been the case at times earlier in the tournament ? If you are going to have a blow out with your first string keeper why have it right before the biggest match of the season ?!
Curiouser and curiouser……
Reserve match just finished: 0-0
Please, oh please, oh please, let there be goals in the real thing ….
Wait, that was just the first half. Still, we need a few goals today, the last thing we want this match to be in a bore draw.
what is it with argentine footy, there seems to be less and less goles. Every super i watch gets worse and worse and i don’t just mean the tackling. Very disappointing result as well being a bostero!!!!
Fewer and fewer goals, what? There are plenty of goals in the Argentine league, albeit this season isn’t exactly vintage. But if you want a goalfest then the superclásico’s obviously a bad idea, it’s always tight and edgy. I wouldn’t say this was any great surprise…