- Boca Juniors will look to secure qualification and continue their pursuit of an international title.
- O’Higgins will aim to achieve a historic result at La Bombonera.
Boca Juniors will contest the play-offs after finishing third in Group D of the CONMEBOL Libertadores, behind Universidad Católica and Cruzeiro. O’Higgins, meanwhile, collected ten points and finished runners-up to São Paulo in Group C of the Sudamericana, ahead of Millonarios and Boston River. The winners of the tie will face Paraguay’s Recoleta in the Round of 16.
The Rancagua-based side have already gained considerable international experience this season. They began their campaign in the CONMEBOL Libertadores, defeating Bahia on penalties and coming close to reaching the group stage before Deportes Tolima overturned the tie in Ibagué. Once in the CONMEBOL Sudamericana, O’Higgins recorded two crucial victories over Millonarios, winning 2-0 in Rancagua before claiming a 2-1 victory in Bogotá on the final matchday to secure qualification. Francisco González was their standout performer during the group stage, with two goals and four assists.
Boca come into the tie under a new head coach and in confident mood. Rodolfo Arruabarrena began his second spell at the club after replacing Claudio Úbeda and signed a contract until December 2027. El Vasco, who won the Argentinian league and Copa Argentina during his first tenure, has started his return with two victories and no goals conceded: a 1-0 friendly win over Athletico Paranaense and a 2-0 triumph against Sarmiento in the Copa Argentina round of 32, through goals from Alan Velasco and academy player Leonel Flores.
O’Higgins also arrive with plenty of competitive rhythm. Lucas Bovaglio’s side have won three of their last four matches, beating Colo Colo 4-1, defeating Unión Española 2-1 and overcoming Ñublense on penalties to reach the Copa de la Liga final. That decider against Coquimbo Unido was postponed, allowing El Capo de Provincia to focus entirely on their continental tie. “The more difficult the obstacle, the better this team responds,” Bovaglio said after learning that Boca would be their opponents.
Boca signed Uruguayan full-back Leandro Lozano and Colombian goalkeeper Álvaro Montero, while also confirming the return of Sebastián Villa for a second spell at the club. Edinson Cavani, Ander Herrera, Nicolás Orsini and Agustín Martegani were among those to depart. O’Higgins, meanwhile, strengthened their midfield with Tomás Avilés, an Argentina-born Chile international who joined on loan from Inter Miami.
Match information
Stadium: La Bombonera, Buenos Aires
Date and kick-off time: Thursday 23 July, 21:30 local time
Referee: Andrés Matonte (URU)
VAR: Christian Ferreyra (URU)
The match in numbers:
- Boca have won four of their last six home matches in the knockout stages of the CONMEBOL Sudamericana, drawing one and losing one. During that run, they conceded just once at La Bombonera, in a 1-0 defeat by Deportivo Capiatá in 2014.
- Boca have won their last four knockout ties against Chilean opponents in CONMEBOL competitions, including a CONMEBOL Sudamericana semi-final against Universidad Católica in 2005. Their most recent such meeting came in 2012, when they eliminated Universidad de Chile in the Libertadores semi-finals.
- O’Higgins spent the fourth-most time leading during the group stage of the 2026 CONMEBOL Sudamericana, with 279 minutes in front. The Rancagua-based side also won all three matches in which they opened the scoring, twice against Millonarios and once against Boston River.
- O’Higgins’ Francisco González recorded the most ball carries ending in the final third during the group stage of the 2026 CONMEBOL Sudamericana, with 47. Four of those carries ended inside the opposition penalty area.
- Sebastián Villa returned to Boca during the current transfer window. In his previous spell at the club, he scored five goals for El Xeneize in CONMEBOL competitions, the most recent coming away to Chilean opposition against Colo-Colo in the 2023 Libertadores.
