Preview
One of the fiercest and most heated rivalries in world football will resume on Sunday, with River Plate and Boca Juniors set to face off over the weekend in the always-heated Superclásico. This tie, the 256th encounter between Argentina's two most successful clubs, will take place at the El Monumental, with this 4 p.m. ET showdown set to be aired live in the United States via a plethora of broadcasters, including Paramount+, TyC Sports Internacional USA, and PrendeTV, just to name a few.
This Matchday 14 battle will be a special encounter for the Buenos Aires outfits as this tie will welcome fans back to the stadium for the first time since the COVID-19 pandemic broke in Argentina. This will be a huge boost, particularly for Los Millonarios as they hope the home crowd can cheer them to a victory over their bitter rivals.
Marcelo Gallardo's men are only two points adrift of Argentine Primera Division first-placed Atletico Talleres and could thus go top of the table should the league leaders lose their respective fixture. However, Julian Alvarez and Co. must beat their opponents first if they wish to pull this off, and given their formidable form as of late, the hosts can enter this clash with tons of confidence.
River Plate, who enter this clash on the back of a 3-1 victory over Atlético Central Córdoba, are unbeaten in their last seven games across all competitions and haven't lost an Argentine top-flight outing since August 8 when they went 2-1 down in their trip to Godoy Cruz. That is a run of eight league games without defeat, with the home side winning all but two of those outings. Will that run come to an end on Sunday?
While Boca Juniors occupy the sixth spot in the standings, sitting six points behind their Superclásico rivals, the visitors have enjoyed a renaissance as of late. The appointment of interim boss Sebastian Battaglia back in August has resulted in an upturn in form, with the Argentine tactician leading the club to back-to-back wins in his first two games in charge upon replacing Miguel Angel Russo.
Xeneizes are now unbeaten in their last eight games, with the 2019/20 Primera Division champions winning all but two of those fixtures. It should be noted that Boca Juniors have failed to score in two of their last four matches and have netted 2+ goals in only one of those four ties, hinting that not everything is rosy at La Bombonera. However, this is the Superclásico, meaning form goes out of the window when these two continental powerhouses lock horns. Make sure to catch the action!
Team news
River Plate: Jonatan Maidana and Héctor David Martínez have been left out of the squad and will thus play no part in this showdown.
Boca Juniors: Eduardo Salvio is close to making a return but the Superclásico comes too soon for the Argentine winger. Similarly, Sebastián Villa is injured and has thus been left out of the squad for Sunday. Agustín Obando and Juan Ramírez join the aforementioned players on the sidelines.
Key stats
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River Plate are unbeaten in their last three home encounters with their Buenos Aires rivals.
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Boca Juniors are unbeaten in their last five meetings with Los Millionarios, winning three of those encounters.
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The last time these two sides met, Xeneizes emerged triumphant, beating their neighbors on penalties in a Copa Argentina round of 16 affair back in August after playing out a goalless draw in normal time.
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Boca Juniors boast the superior all-time head-to-head record, albeit by a small margin, winning 89 of their 255 encounters, drawing 83 times and losing 83 showdowns.
Broadcast listings
Match details, result and original broadcast info
River Plate 2 - 1 Boca Juniors
October 3, 2021 4:00pmEstadio Monumental Antonio Vespucio Liberti (Capital Federal, Ciudad de Buenos Aires)This match has ended. Below are the original Live broadcast details for this match.