Boca gears up to host São Paulo in Copa Sudamericana quarterfinals with its strongest lineup

Just one question mark. That's all Rodolfo Arruabarrena has left to sort out before Boca hosts São Paulo in the Copa Sudamericana quarterfinals. The rest of the lineup, according to information obtained by Diego Monroig on Sportscenter, is already all but set, with the club's top names penciled in to start.

The series opens at La Bombonera, and this is no ordinary matchup. On the other side is a São Paulo squad that reached this stage after finishing first in Group C with three wins and three draws, conceding just one goal across six matches in that phase. They then eliminated Bolívar with a 4-2 aggregate score and arrived in Argentina on an eight-game unbeaten streak in the competition. On paper, that's a different animal entirely from the opponents Boca dispatched to get here: Chile's O'Higgins and Paraguay's Recoleta.

That's why Arruabarrena wants to roll out his best available group. On Sunday in Mendoza, Boca drew 2-2 with Gimnasia using a lineup heavy on backups, with this Tuesday's match already in mind. Now it's time to show his strongest hand.

The only doubt is in the back line

Everything points to the central defense as the last piece still to be settled. Lautaro Di Lollo has his spot locked up, and the question is who partners him: either youngster Facundo Herrera or Marco Pellegrino, who has recovered from injury and got some minutes over the weekend in the Torneo Clausura.

In midfield there's little mystery. Leandro Paredes, despite arriving "just barely" fit physically after a heavy load of matches this year, will start without question. The same goes for Santiago Ascacibar, who missed the Gimnasia game with a bad cold but is now fit to rejoin the squad. Up top, there's no doubt either: Sebastián Villa and Miguel Merentiel round out the attack alongside Alan Velasco.

Based on all that, the lineup taking shape to face São Paulo would be: Álvaro Montero in goal; Leandro Lozano, Lautaro Di Lollo, either Facundo Herrera or Marco Pellegrino, and Lautaro Blanco across the back line; Santiago Ascacibar, Leandro Paredes and Tomás Belmonte in midfield; and Alan Velasco, Sebastián Villa and Miguel Merentiel up front.

The plan from the Vasco is clear: build as big a cushion as possible in Buenos Aires, then manage the tie in Brazil. Against a team that let in just one goal across six group-stage matches, any edge Boca can carve out at La Bombonera could prove decisive.