Boca heads to Paraguay without Leandro Paredes due to a muscle strain

Boca already has the 3-1 first-leg result in hand, but the return match against Deportivo Recoleta brings a headache that wasn't part of Rodolfo Arruabarrena's plans. On Tuesday, August 18, starting at 7:00 p.m. (Argentina and Uruguay time), the team will visit Estadio Defensores del Chaco for the round of 16 of the 2026 Copa Sudamericana, and it will do so without its captain and top attacking reference point.

Leandro Paredes did not travel to Paraguay. The midfielder felt discomfort during the match against Vicente López and confirmed it himself on social media: he needs rest. Team doctor Augusto Cesar specified that it's a strain that will keep him off the field for at least two weeks. Nothing serious in the long run, but enough to complicate things for Arruabarrena right in the middle of a knockout tie.

Because with this Boca side, when Paredes is out, something shifts. The team tends to move at the World Cup winner's rhythm, and finding a natural replacement is no easy task. El Vasco has two options on the table: repeat the 4-2-3-1 with Miguel Merentiel playing a bit freer behind the striker, as he did against Platense, or stick with the 4-3-3 and bring in a substitute midfielder, either Tomás Belmonte or Camilo Rey Domenech, to avoid losing control in the middle of the park.

Paredes' injury isn't the only absence forcing changes. Leandro Lozano will also be unavailable, and everything points to Dylan Gorosito taking his spot at fullback. In defense, Ayrton Costa would return to the starting lineup ahead of Pellegrino, repeating the setup already seen at Estadio Tomás Adolfo Ducó.

The new additions to the squad list

Boca traveled to Paraguay this Monday, and Arruabarrena has already confirmed the list of called-up players. Three names stand out: Enner Valencia will get his first call-up wearing the Boca jersey, while Williams Alarcón and Milton Giménez return to the squad after overcoming their respective physical issues. The club itself released the information on its official social media, along with the match details: venue, kickoff time and broadcast on Disney+ Plan Premium, exclusive to South America.

With the first-leg result in its favor, the advantage lets Boca play with some breathing room, though in South American soccer no tie is ever fully settled until the final whistle. Recoleta needs to overturn a two-goal deficit on its own turf, something that's tough but not impossible if it can exploit the visitors' physical wear, given Boca arrives with forced rotations and without its captain on the field.