Sports Mole previews Wednesday’s Argentine Primera Division clash between Boca Juniors and Banfield, including predictions, team news and possible lineups.
Boca Juniors will be looking to make it four home wins on the bounce when they welcome Banfield to La Bombonera Stadium in the Argentine Primera Division on Wednesday.
Having won their last two meetings, El Taladro will head into the midweek clash seeking to make it a hat-trick of victories in this fixture and pick up their first away win of the campaign.
Match preview
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Boca Juniors were involved in a share of the spoils for a third consecutive game away from home as they played out a goalless draw with Instituto Cordoba when the sides met on Monday morning.
With chances at a premium at the attacking end of the pitch, veteran goalkeeper Sergio Romero performed brilliantly whenever called upon to help the visitors secure a point at the Estadio Presidente Peron.
Prior to that, the Xeneize picked up a 1-0 victory over Independiente Del Valle on July 25, a result which would see them progress to the round of 16 of the Copa Sudamericana, having played out a goalless draw with the Ecuadorian outfit in the first leg.
With Monday’s stalemate, Boca Juniors have now gone six consecutive games without defeat across all competitions, claiming three wins and three draws since a 1-0 loss against Platense on June 2.
Having won just two of their seven Primera Division games so far, Diego Martinez‘s side will be looking to pick up the pace in the league as they currently sit 17th in the table with nine points from the first 21 available.
Elsewhere, Banfield continue to struggle for results in the new Primera Division campaign as they were held to a 1-1 draw by 10-man Talleres at the Estadio Florencio Sola on Sunday.
Matias Galarza picked up a 21st-minute straight red to give the hosts a numerical advantage but they would fail to make this count as Jesus Miguel Soraire and Gaston Benavidez scored for either side in the first half to force a share of the spoils.
Banfield have now failed to win six of their seven league games to start the season — losing three and claiming three draws — with a 2-0 home victory over Newell’s Old Boys on June 5 being the exception.
While El Taladro are unbeaten in their four home games so far, their stuttering start to the season has been owing to their struggles on the road, where they have lost all three matches this season, conceding six goals and scoring just once.
Next up for Gustavo Munua‘s men is the challenge of taking on a Boca Juniors side who are unbeaten at home in 2024, picking up 11 wins and four draws in their 15 games at La Bombonera since the turn of the year.
Banfield will draw optimism from the fact that they are unbeaten in each of their last three meetings with Boca Juniors, including two wins in their last two encounters since a goalless draw in July 2021.
Boca Juniors Argentine Primera Division form:
Boca Juniors form (all competitions):
Banfield Argentine Primera Division form:
Team News
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Boca Juniors will be without several players down the spine of the team as Cristian Medina, Leandro Brey, Kevin Zenon and Ezequiel Fernandez are all on duty with the Argentine Olympics squad in France.
On the injury front, the Xeneize will take to the pitch without the Uruguayan defender Marcelo Saracchi, who has missed the last three matches through a muscle injury.
Fellow defender Jorge Figal has been out of action since coming off with a sprained knee against Almirante Brown in June and the 30-year-old is out of contention for the home side.
As for Banfield, the Argentine duo of Alexis Maldonado and midfielder Alejandro Cabrera continue their long road to full fitness after both picking up ACL injuries and will play no part in Wednesday’s game.
They are joined on the club’s injury table by 31-year-old forward Bruno Sepulveda, who is set to sit out his third consecutive game after picking up a muscle injury against Independiente on June 13.
Twenty-two-year-old defender Mateo Perez, who has made three league appearances this season, is also a doubt for the visitors, having missed each of the last two games due to an illness.
Boca Juniors possible starting lineup:
Romero; Di Lollo, Medel, Rojo, Blanco; Belmonte, Fernandez, Ceballos, Aguirre; Cavani, Merentiel
Banfield possible starting lineup:
Sanguinetti; Enrique, Maciel, Aranda, Insua; Gonzalez, Nunez, Soraire; Alvarez, Roldan, Rodriguez
We say: Boca Juniors 3-1 Banfield
While Banfield will be looking to find their feet here, they are in for a tough 90 minutes against a Boca Juniors side who have been near impenetrable at home this season. Martinez’s men boast the firepower needed to get this one over the line and we see them claiming all three points unscathed.
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