Boca Juniors welcome Corinthians to La Bombonera in Copa Libertadores group stage action on Tuesday.
The visitors are in first place in the Group E standings with seven points while the hosts are right behind them in second place with six points. All four teams in the group are still in contention to qualify for the knockout stage, as only three points separate Corinthians and last-placed Always Ready.
Boca Juniors secured a narrow 1-0 win against Always Ready in their previous outing. They have recorded wins in three league fixtures as well, defeating Racing Club on penalties in the Argentina Primeira Division final phase fixture.
Corinthians have been in great form this season and played out a goalless draw against Deportivo Cali in their last Libertadores game. They are also at the top of the standings in the Brazilian Serie A.
Boca Juniors vs Corinthians Head-to-Head
This will be the eighth meeting between the two sides in the Copa Libertadores. They met in three editions of the competition prior to 2022, with the six meetings coming in the knockout stages.
This season was the first time the two sides met in the group stage of the competition. The head-to-head record is perfectly in the balance at the moment, with two wins apiece and three games ending in draws.
The reverse fixture in Brazil last month ended in a 2-0 win for the then-hosts.
Boca Juniors form guide (all competitions): W-W-W-W-W
Corinthians form guide (all competitions): D-W-W-D-W
Boca Juniors vs Corinthians Team News
Boca Juniors
Diego González and Norberto Briasco have been ruled out with knee and ankle injuries respectively and have not been named in the final 23-man squad announced for the game.
Agustín Almendra has been left out of the squad due to an undisclosed reason, while Marcos Rojo and Sebastián Villa will serve suspensions here. Cristian Pavón has not been included in the squad for the group stage fixtures of the competition.
Injured: Diego Gonzalez, Norberto Briasco
Suspended: Marcos Rojo, Sebastián Villa
Unavailable: Agustín Almendra, Cristian Pavón
Corinthians
Paulinho is a long-term absentee with a ruptured ACL and also tested positive for COVID-19 last week. Fagner, Ruan Oliveira, João Pedro, Luan and Guilherme missed their previous league outing due to injuries but Guilherme is expected to rejoin the squad for the game.
Injured: Paulinho, Fagner, Ruan Oliveira, João Pedro, Luan
Suspended: None
Unavailable: None
Boca Juniors vs Corinthians Predicted XIs
Boca Juniors (4-3-1-2): Agustin Rossi (GK); Luis Advíncula, Carlos Zambrano, Carlos Izquierdoz, Frank Fabra; Guillermo Fernández, Alan Varela, Juan Ramírez; Oscar Romero; Eduardo Salvio, Dario Benedetto
Corinthians (4-3-3): Cassio (GK); Rafael Ramos, Gil, Raul Gustavo, Fabio Santos; Victor Cantillo, Maycon Barberan, Renato Augusto; Willian, Jo, Roger Guedes
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Boca Juniors vs Corinthians Prediction
Boca Juniors head into the game in rich form, winning their last five games across all competitions. They have scored seven goals in that period while keeping a clean sheet in each of these games. They also have home advantage and will be hopeful of a positive outcome here.
Corinthians are also undefeated in their last six games across all competitions and might be able to put up a challenge here. We expect the game to be a closely contested affair and it should end in a high-scoring draw.
Prediction: Boca Juniors 2-2 Corinthians.