Boca versus River: why were in for a super-spicy Superclásico on Sunday

Argentine football will come to a standstill this Sunday as Boca Juniors host River Plate for the latest clash. But while all matches between the time-honored rivals are important, the stakes this time are especially high as they vie for a spot in South American football’s premier club competition, the Copa Libertadores. Argentine clubs have a few possible routes to the Copa Libertadores. The champions of the Torneo Apertura and Clausura get a ticket, and the former is already in the hands of Platense.  The winner of the Copa Argentina also gets a spot. Argentinos Juniors and Independiente Rivadavia are set to duke it out this Wednesday, at the Juan Domingo Perón stadium in Córdoba. You may also like: Where to watch football matches in Buenos Aires That leaves three spots for the best-ranked teams in the annual table that haven’t yet secured a spot. The table combines teams’ points from the Apertura and Clausura league phases into a single leaderboard. Rosario Central is guaranteed a spot: with 65 points, they’re so far ahead that nobody can overtake them, even if they miss out on the Clausura title. After them, the next two teams (who aren’t already champions) are Boca, with 56 points, and River, with 52. However, that last place only grants a spot in the preliminary rounds, not in the Libertadores outright.  Boca on a high Boca is arriving at the matchup on a footballing high. After enduring the passing of head coach and club legend Miguel Ángel Russo, the Xeneize has won three of its last four matches, and even a draw against River would be enough to secure the second annual table spot. Fresh off a last-minute 2-1 win against Estudiantes de La Plata, it leads Zone A in the Clausura. With 24 goals, Boca is the highest-scoring team in the tournament. What’s more, star player Leandro Paredes faced a one-match suspension for accumulating five yellow cards, but he served that at the weekend and will be back in action on Sunday.  River’s losses It’s a very different story for River, which is languishing in sixth place in Zone B of the Clausura, and still not through to the next phase. The team lead by Marcelo Gallardo has lost eight of its last 10 games, prompting some fans to question whether the coach should remain at the helm. Elimination from the Copa Libertadores semifinals was a tough blow for River, and missing out on next year’s tournament would compound it. With a team that has struggled to find form and some players showing they might not have what it takes to don the historic red-sashed shirt, this has become a Superclásico to win at all costs. River has Argentinos Juniors and Riestra hard on its heels, both on 51 points. With six points left to play, a defeat could leave Gallardo’s team on the brink of missing out.