Boca Juniors and Vasco da Gama Clash in Copa Sudamericana Semifinals with the Season on the Line

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The first leg at La Bombonera

This Tuesday, Argentina's Boca Juniors will host Brazil's Vasco da Gama at La Bombonera for the first leg of the Copa Sudamericana semifinals, a matchup that will largely determine the hopes of both clubs in the second half of 2026.

The blue and gold team arrives at the end of the season with a packed schedule as they remain in contention on all fronts: in the Argentine League's Clausura Tournament, they are in the qualification zone for the round of 16; in the Copa Argentina, they will face Banfield in the semifinals; and in the Copa Sudamericana, they are giving their fans hope for the club's first international title in almost 20 years

Vasco's difficult time

Vasco is going through a difficult time in the Brazilian Championship. They are playing in the Copa do Brasil semifinals against Palmeiras and are aiming to win their first continental trophy since the 2000 Copa Mercosur, so they are giving top priority to the series against Boca Juniors.

This semifinal will be spiced up by three names that are linked to both teams.

The Argentine Facundo Colidio will not be able to play against the club where he came up through the youth academy and against which he scored a goal as a striker for archrival River Plate, since the latter kept him on its roster in good faith even after he had been transferred to Vasco.

The Colombian Marino Hinestroza was at the center of the summer saga in Boca's transfer market. He ultimately did not join Boca and instead moved to Vasco after weeks of negotiations between Boca's management and that of Atlético Nacional.

And one of the talents on the Brazilian team's current roster is Alan Lescano, who was on Boca's radar during his outstanding performance at Argentinos Juniors.

Santiago Sosa and Claudio Spinelli are other Argentines who will be looking to lead the team coached by Pedro Emanuel to the final of the tournament.

In addition, the black-and-white team from Rio de Janeiro is out of contention in the Brasileirão, close to the relegation zone, and last Saturday they barely managed a draw against Remo, leaving them in fourteenth place

The Basque Arruabarrena and Boca

The arrival of Rodolfo Arruabarrena on the bench allowed Boca, after a long time, to take the field with a relatively stable lineup and a defined style of play, despite injuries to key positions on the team threatening what remains of 2026.

Captain Leandro Paredes suffered a tear during Friday's draw away to Instituto de Córdoba and will not be able to play at La Bombonera this Tuesday.

The rising young star, Tomás Aranda, will miss almost the rest of the year after suffering a fracture, but the team didn't suffer as Alan Velasco found a way to replace him, even though a muscle tear later sidelined him from this semifinal series.

But Arruabarrena's Boca (who curiously goes by the nickname 'Vasco') finds replacements who don't lower the team's level: the lack of a defined center forward seems to be compensated for in goals by Colombian Sebastián Villa, the academy star Leonel Flores, and the already experienced Uruguayan Miguel Merentiel.

In defense, the emergence of the young Facundo 'Jagger' Herrera gave Boca a replacement for Ayrton Acosta, and the midfield has strong performers in Santiago Ascacíbar and Milton Delgado. The biggest question now is who will replace Paredes for the clash against the Brazilian side, which could be one of the two Chileans on the squad, Carlos Palacios or Williams Alarcón

Probable lineups:

Boca: Álvaro Montero, Leandro Lozano, Lautaro Di Lollo, Facundo Herrera, Lautaro Blanco, Santiago Ascacíbar, Williams Alarcón or Carlos Palacios, Milton Delgado, Leonel Flores, Sebastián Villa, and Miguel Merentiel. Coach: Rodolfo Arruabarrena.

Vasco da Gama: Leo Jardim, Paulo Henrique, Alan Saldivia, Robert Renan, Cuiabano, Santiago Sosa, Marino Hinestroza, Alan Lescano, Thiago Mendes, Andrés Gómez, and Bruno Duarte. Coach: Pedro Emanuel. EFE

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