Boca heads to Paraguay with Enner Valencia to seal quarterfinal spot against Recoleta

Last night's send off in Luque left a scene that's already made the rounds on social media: Boca's players stepped out of the hotel after 8:00 p.m. to greet fans one by one, who had gathered outside the entrance. Photos, autographs, and a night that was completely blue and gold in the heart of Paraguay. Boca is now in Asuncion for what's coming tonight: the second leg of the Copa Sudamericana round of 16 against Deportivo Recoleta.

The team arrived Monday afternoon after training that morning in Ezeiza. Right after they got off the plane, only a handful of fans were there to greet them, which made sense given the security measures in place early on. But that changed as the hours went by: by nightfall, the crowd of fans outside the Gran Bourbon Hotel in Luque, where the squad is staying, had grown massive.

Also among those who traveled was Juan Roman Riquelme, the club's president, who flew with the squad. And on the list of players called up that Boca released before departing, there was a piece of news that had been long awaited: Enner Valencia was included for the first time since joining the club.

The Ecuadorian forward isn't the only new face on the roster. Rodolfo Arruabarrena had to work around some painful absences: Leandro Paredes, Leandro Lozano and Marco Pellegrino got injured in Saturday's draw against Platense and were left out of the trip. Taking their place are Facundo Herrera, Williams Alarcon and Milton Gimenez, along with Valencia himself.

A comfortable lead, but it still needs to be confirmed

Boca arrives with a solid foundation after winning the first leg 3 to 1. It's not a done deal, but it does give the team some room to manage the match with a bit more calm. The tie will be decided tonight starting at 7:00 p.m. at the Estadio Defensores del Chaco, where around 20,000 Paraguayan fans are expected to cheer on Recoleta. The match will air on Disney+ Premium Plan.

For the likely lineup, Arruabarrena is expected to go with: Alvaro Montero; Dylan Gorosito, Nicolas Figal, Ayrton Costa, Lautaro Blanco; Santiago Ascacibar, Milton Delgado; Tomas Aranda, Leonel Flores; Sebastian Villa and Miguel Merentiel.

A win or a draw is enough for Boca to advance to the quarterfinals. Losing by one goal would force a penalty shootout, and a loss by two goals or more would knock the Xeneize out. With that in mind, the mission tonight in Asuncion seems clearer than ever: hold onto what was done in the first leg and don't make things complicated.