Boca Juniors vs River Plate – ‘Superclasico’ March 30, 2014 Prediction, TV Schedule and Highlights

March 29, 2014 6:13 pm Modified date: March 30, 2014 4:18 pm

Boca Juniors will host River Plate at La Bombonera Stadium on Sunday, March 30 (2:00 PM Pacific), in a new edition of the Superclásico; this time in the 10^th round of the Torneo Final 2014 – the Argentinian league tournament. Of course, this is the match that both teams most want to win in all the tournament, so it will surely be a very exciting game, although River Plate fans aren’t allowed to go to the stadium due to a security decision.

Boca Juniors tied their last two matches, against Argentinos Juniors and Quilmes, and are in the 11^th place with only 12 points in 9 matches – six behind the leader Colón. However, the Argentinian league tournament is very unpredictable and if they -or many other teams- win a couple of matches in a row, they could suddenly be in the fight for the title.

The boss Carlos Bianchi, as usual, had not confirmed the lineup to the press. However, left back Nahuel Zárate is out for sure, due to a muscular injury. Bianchi talked on Friday about how intense the Superclásico will be: “Important matches shouldn’t be played beforehand but when the time comes. We have to keep all our energies knowing that on Sunday we have to give a thousand percent”.

On the other hand, River Plate won their last match, 2-0 against Lanús at home. They’re in the fourth position with 14 points, four behind Colón, and if they win the Superclásico they may climb to the second position. Furthermore, they want a victory in order to finish with the 10-year no-win streak at La Bombonera.

The manager Ramón Díaz spoke to the press about Sunday’s game: “We want to be aggressive, take control of the ball. It will be a beautiful derby because both teams will look for the victory. I like this matches and even more at this stage, four points behind the leader”.

Díaz confirmed the team that will start against Boca, and the main news are the return of the Colombian striker Teófilo Gutiérrez in place of Daniel Villalva after recovering from an injury, as well as Osman Ferreyra being substituted by Ramiro Funes Mori on the left back.

The complete lineup of the Millonarios will be a 4-3-1-2 with: Barovero; Mercado, Maidana, Balanta, Funes Mori; Carbonero, Ledesma, Rojas; Lanzini; Gutiérrez, Cavenaghi.

This game generates great expectations in both club supporters in Argentina and all over the world. For example, Boca Juniors fans in Tel Áviv (Israel) will watch the game in a giant screen, while River Plate supporters in New York will gather in Times Square and then walk to Legends bar, where they’ll watch the derby.

In my opinion, although they arrive in a worse moment, Boca Juniors are the favorites to win this match. The derby is a special match and it matters little the previous results of the teams. Instead, the most important thing to win this kind of matches is being focused and don’t get eager if minutes pass and the goal doesn’t come. I think the atmosphere at La Bombonera could be decisive and it will surely help the Xeneixes. My prediction is a 2-1 victory for Boca Juniors.

History and previous matches

In league tournaments, 191 Superclásico were played, with 70 wins for Boca, 62 for River and 59 ties. When Boca played at home, they won 44 and lose 22 out of 91 games (25 ties).

The last victory of River Plate at La Bombonera was on May 16, 2004. The only goal of the match was scored by striker Fernando Cavenaghi, who will play from the beginning on Sunday, almost 10 years after that match. Since that moment, eight Superclásicos were played at Boca Juniors’ stadium, with 4 victories for the Xeneixes and 4 draws.