Boca heads to the Morumbí to defend a slim lead over São Paulo in Copa Sudamericana semifinal spot

A slim lead, a hostile stadium and a spot in the semifinals on the line. Boca is holding onto the 1-0 it took off São Paulo at La Bombonera, but the team knows that's not enough to rest easy. This Tuesday, at the Morumbí, it will be decided who advances to the semifinals of the Copa Sudamericana, and Rodolfo Arruabarrena's side has already worked out almost every detail to protect that margin.

The math is simple but demanding: with such a narrow cushion, any goal by São Paulo at home complicates things and forces Boca to keep a cool head in a venue that tends to weigh on visitors. That's why Arruabarrena shuffled his lineup over the weekend with this second leg as the sole focus.

Last Friday, in the Torneo Clausura, Boca routed Central Córdoba 3-1 with an almost entirely alternate lineup. That was no accident: the coach chose to rest most of his starters to have them fresh for Brazil. Among those called up for the trip is Álvaro Montero, who rejoined the squad after a personal trip following the death of his grandmother. Also available off the bench will be Milton Giménez up front and Maicom Braida, as the natural fill-in for Lautaro Blanco if needed.

The squad flew out Monday afternoon bound for São Paulo, where Dorival Júnior's team awaits, needing to flip the tie on its own turf.

How Boca would line up at the Morumbí

With the core group already set, Arruabarrena plans to stick with the backbone that delivered the result in the first leg. In defense, the big news is the continuity of Facundo Herrera, who turned in a solid performance in the opener and earned the coach's trust to keep his spot.

In midfield, Milton Delgado would reclaim his starting spot, pushing Tomás Belmonte to the bench. Up top, the battle came down to Leonel Flores and Sebastián Villa, and everything points to the young player who came up through Boca Predio getting the nod to round out the attack.

If these changes are confirmed, the team that would take the field at the Morumbí would line up with Álvaro Montero in goal; Leandro Lozano, Lautaro Di Lollo, Facundo Herrera and Lautaro Blanco across the back line; Santiago Ascacíbar, Leandro Paredes and Milton Delgado in midfield; and a front three made up of Alan Velasco, Miguel Merentiel and Leonel Flores.

Boca isn't traveling to Brazil to sit on the result from the first leg. With a squad that rotated almost entirely over the weekend to arrive fresh for this match, Arruabarrena's plan seems clear: go out and attack the game rather than risk a nerve-wracking finish in the closing minutes.