Needing a big win to have any hope of staying in the Club World Cup, Boca Juniors must beat already-eliminated Auckland City when the teams meet in Nashville today.
With Bayern Munich guaranteed to go through from Group C and second-placed Benfica three points ahead of them, Boca require a significant goal-difference swing to reach the last 16.
Though Boca Juniors have given a good account of themselves so far, their 2-1 defeat to Bayern Munich in Miami left dreams of making the Club World Cup’s knockout phase hanging by a thread.
Having previously squandered a precious two-goal lead against Benfica, Miguel Angel Russo‘s men have just one point on the board, so only victory will do on Group C’s final matchday.
Even maximum points might not be enough, as Benfica just need to avoid defeat against Bayern to progress in second place; should the Lisbon club slip up, Boca would still need to win handsomely in Nashville, with a goal-difference deficit of seven to wipe out.
A tie on points and goal difference could even see the runners-up spot decided by Fair Play criteria, but in any case, Boca will only be concerned about such matters if they get a multi-goal win.
Miguel Angel Russo has mixed news ahead of Boca’s final group game, as one key player can return, but several others will miss out.
Veteran forward Edinson Cavani could be back on the bench after recovering from an injury, albeit Miguel Merentiel – who has scored in both games so far – is set to keep his starting spot up front.
However, centre-back Nicolas Figal and Spanish midfielder Ander Herrera – both of whom were sent off against Benfica – have been handed four-game bans.
Furthermore, Marcos Rojo has missed training and fellow defender Ayrton Costa is ruled out by a muscle strain, so former AC Milan man Marco Pellegrino could be asked to deputise in Boca’s back four.
While Auckland City were outclassed by two regulars in the UEFA Champions League knockout phase, a far from vintage Boca Juniors side may not have enough nous to produce a similar scoreline.
The Buenos Aires club are almost sure to win in Nashville, but their margin of victory is unlikely to keep them alive in the tournament.
Credit: sportsmole.co.uk
