The guaranteed rating of Racing, River, Students y Boca to the quarterfinals of the Professional League Cup allows us to anticipate a very interesting definition of the first official tournament of the year. Without a doubt, the first three teams have been the best in the competition, the ones that have played the best and better results have been obtained, each one with its own style and forms. And although it has entered the tumbles and in the midst of strong questions, Boca’s presence in the finals adds tension and expectation. It cannot be ruled out simply because of that, because it is Boca.
A premature glance could affirm that in this quartet, there is the name of the next champion. But no title was won beforehand. And you shouldn’t lose sight of that the semifinals and the final will be played as a single match and in neutral stadiums. In zone 1, Newell’s, Argentinos, Gimnasia and Sarmiento de Junín compete for the two places of third and fourth place, while in zone 2, it is a fact that Tigre and Aldosivi will pass, two surprises. The only thing left to stipulate is which of them will be third and which will be fourth. Everything will have to be resolved on the date of next weekend and very quickly, between Tuesday 10 and Wednesday 11, the quarterfinals will be played on the fields of the teams located in the first two places of each group.. So Racing. River, Estudiantes and Boca will have an appreciable home advantage.
It is possible that this week River and Estudiantes qualify for the round of 16 of the Copa Libertadores, which would give them a two-week break to focus on defining the local competition. whose final is scheduled for Sunday, May 22 at the Mario Kempes stadium in Córdoba with the presence of the two fans. On the other hand, Boca and Racing do not have such a relieved situation at the continental level. Boca, for example, should play a hypothetical semifinal on the weekend of May 14 and 15 and on Tuesday 17 they have scheduled revenge against Corinthians at the Bombonera. We will have to see which tournament his coach Sebastián Battaglia gives priority to.
Racing will depend a lot on what happens this Tuesday in Brazil against Cuiabá to be able to get on track in the Copa Sudamericana. If he wins, he will be first in his group and will have more air to dedicate himself to resolving the Professional League Cup. If he loses, his coach Fernando Gago will have to make decisions. The semifinals and the final fall before the last two matches of the group stage against Melgar from Peru and River from Montevideo and it will give too many advantages if you rotate too wide between the two tournaments. But the prize for everyone is very big: there is a title at stake, the first of the year. And the direct qualification for the 2023 Copa Libertadores. There is no fatigue or wear and tear when it comes time for the big definitions.
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