Boca hosts Racing with Di Lollo and Flores as the biggest injury doubts

Winning in Paraguay was nice, but nobody at Boca is talking about Deportivo Recoleta anymore. The rout that sent the team into the quarterfinals of the 2026 CONMEBOL Sudamericana was filed away the moment the final whistle blew, because what comes next carries a different weight: Racing, at the Cilindro, in matchday six of the Torneo Clausura. And Vasco Arruabarrena has to put together the puzzle with several pieces out of place.

It's the usual story during heavy weeks: players carrying knocks, others already ruled out for certain, and a coach who needs to improvise without it showing too much. On ESPN F12, Diego Monroig laid out the most pressing doubts: Lautaro Di Lollo and Leonel Flores are not guaranteed to be available against La Academia.

Both were on the bench against Deportivo Recoleta and didn't see the field. That wasn't a coincidence. Di Lollo had barely been fit enough for his last appearance, and the coaching staff preferred not to take any chances with the defender in Paraguay. Something similar happened with Flores: he's one of the young players who has been showing good signs, and Boca wants to have him at full strength for a match of this magnitude, so they didn't risk him either.

On top of those two doubts come the absences that are already confirmed and beyond debate. Marco Pellegrino is still recovering from a muscle injury to his left hamstring, Leandro Lozano is nursing discomfort in the back of one of his legs, and Leandro Paredes has inflammation in his left hamstring. According to what Augusto Cesar learned, all three are progressing well, though none of them would be ready in time for the derby against Racing.

How Boca could line up

Given this outlook, logic suggests Arruabarrena could repeat much of the lineup that ran riot in Paraguay, as long as no last minute setback pops up. That said, it wouldn't be surprising to see a tweak or two in attack, regardless of whether Di Lollo and Flores are fit or not.

The lineup taking shape to visit Racing at the Cilindro de Avellaneda would have Alvaro Montero in goal; Dylan Gorosito, Nicolas Figal, Ayrton Costa and Lautaro Blanco across the back four; Santiago Ascacibar, Tomas Belmonte, Milton Delgado and Tomas Aranda in midfield; and Sebastian Villa alongside Miguel Merentiel up top.

Vasco has only a few days to make up his mind, and the recovery of Di Lollo and Flores remains the main thing to monitor before he confirms the final squad list for a match that promises to be a tough test against one of the league's top contenders.