Copa Libertadores: what will the path of Boca and River be like, and who has it more complicated

A new draw for the

passed and a new illusion was launched for the two giants of Argentina.

This is the Argentine team that played the most finals (

, 11 with six titles) and the last champion and finalist of our country (

, 2018 and 2019), perhaps that is why they arouse so much passion;

perhaps the Cup is so coveted by these two teams because in addition to the title it will grant a ticket to the 2025 Club World Cup;

Or maybe it's because of the

that the champion will take as prizes.

The concrete thing is that after three consecutive editions in which the final was dominated by Brazilian teams, both

, Brazil.

But the path will not be easy.

The rivalry between River and Boca is measured at all levels and in all sports.

If even in the match for the Senior tournament that was played this Sunday in Jujuy there was controversy over a kick from Chelo Delgado (it was a 3-0 victory for Boca), how could there not be competitiveness after the draw: it is that those of River They believe that the Boca area is much more "friendly", but as is well known in this sport, games have to be played and they are won on the pitch.

River's path in the Copa Libertadores

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Martín Demichelis's team fell into Group D and will play against Fluminense, The Strongest and Sporting Cristal.

Beyond the level of his rivals, the first thing that worried the coach of the Núñez team is the trips.

River will debut on Tuesday, April 4 at 9:00 p.m.

against the Bolivian team at the 3,600-meter-high Hernando Siles Stadium in La Paz, the capital of Bolivia.

The Strongest arrives as the leader of the Bolivian tournament and will try to take advantage of its location on the initial date of the zone.

Demichelis knows that it is important to start with a victory, but also that River has not won at the height of La Paz for more than 50 years.

The last time the Millionaire managed to bring a victory at the height of the Bolivian capital was in 1970 against Universitario de La Paz for the Copa Libertadores.

Afterwards, there were only defeats and draws: 1-1 against Bolívar in 1970, 1-0 against The Strongest, in 1982;

4-1 against Bolívar, in 1991;

4-1 against The Strongest, in 2001;

and a 1-1 draw against

, in 2016.

After visiting La Paz, the Millionaire will receive Sporting Cristal in the Más Monumental during the week of April 19.

The Peruvian team comes from eliminating Huracán in the preliminary phase and showing a great level at the hands of the Brazilian coach Tiago Nunes (champion of the South American with Atlético Paranaense, in 2018).

The Peruvian team was the best in their country in the accumulated table, but finished third in the Opening and second in the Closing, so they had to play the Repechage.

Then, River will visit Fluminense at the Maracaná in the week of May 3.

The Rio de Janeiro team, third in the last Brasileirao, is in full reconstruction, but managed to sign Marcelo, the former Real Madrid left-back who comes as a great figure to accompany the Argentine Germán Cano, league scorer with 26 goals.

River's participation in Group D will close with a visit to Sporting Cristal, in Lima (week of 5/24);

and two home games against Fluminense (week of 6/7) and The Strongest (week of 6/28).

The path of Boca in the Copa Libertadores

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Hugo Ibarra's team landed in Group F along with Colo Colo, Monagas from Venezuela and Deportivo Pereira from Colombia.

A priori, an accessible group for a club that has held six Copa Libertadores titles in its history, but has not been able to lift the trophy since 2007.

However,

at the Monumental Stadium in Maturín against the Venezuelan team.

Those led by Hugo Ibarra will have to travel in just over six hours the 4,958 kilometers that separate the Argentine capital from the ninth most populous city -with 647,459 inhabitants- in Venezuela.

Later, the Bombonera will be the stage to receive Deportivo Pereira, a team that won its first league title in Colombia, in 2022. But the start of the tournament this year does not give them great joy with 3 wins, 2 draws and 5 losses in the first ten dates.

That meeting will be played during the week of April 18.

For the third date, Boca will visit Colo Colo from Chile in the week of May 2.

And of course, the first image that will fly over the memories of the fans will be that of Carlos Fernando Navarro Montoya and the German sheepdog of the Carabineros de Chile that bit him in one of those "epic" battles of the Libertadores from before.

It was a historic night that deposited the Chilean team in the final of the contest.

But that left 8 injured and more than 120 detainees after a fight of "all against all" in the middle of the playing field.

It was at the Monumental Stadium in Santiago in front of 65,000 spectators.

After the 3-1 score that Raúl Martínez scored for the locals -and which gave him the classification- barbarism was unleashed: the dog's bite of the Boca goalkeeper and Maestro Tabárez covered in blood are two postcards from that black and unforgettable night.

After colliding with Colo Colo, Boca will close its luck in the area after visiting Deportivo Pereira (week of 5/23) and receiving the Chileans in their stadium (week of June 6) and the Venezuelans (week of June 27). .

Libertadores Cup 2023

Group stage.

Group A

Flamengo

(BRA)

Racing Club

(ARG)

Aucas

(ECU)

Nublense

(CHI)

B Group

National

(URU)

International

(BRA)

Metropolitan

(VEN)

Ind. Medellin

(COL)

Group C

Palmeiras

(BRA)

Barcelona SC

(ECU)

Bolivar

(BOL)

Cerro Porteño

(PAR)

Group D

River Plate

(ARG)

Fluminense

(BRA)

The Strongest

(BOL)

Sporting Cristal

(PER)

Group E

Ind. of the Valley

(ECU)

Corinthians

(BRA)

Argentines Jrs.

(ARG)

Liverpool

(URU)

Group F

Boca Juniors

(ARG)

Colo Colo

(CHI)

Monagas

(VEN)

Dept. Pereira

(COL)

Group G

Paranaense

(BRA)

Freedom

(PAR)

Lima Alliance

(PER)

Atletico Mineiro

(BRA)

Group H

Olympia

(PAR)

at.

National

(COL)

Melgar

(PER)

Board of Trustees

(ARG)

Source:

Infographic:

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