O’Higgins vs Boca Juniors – News and Probable Lineups

On Friday in Chile, O’Higgins will face Boca Juniors as the two teams compete for advancement to the Copa Sudamericana round of 16.

The Argentine side will arrive with a slight advantage, needing to protect a one-goal lead after winning the initial leg of their knockout stage playoff match last week.

Match overview

O’Higgins will return to international competition on Friday with hopes of overcoming their deficit to advance to the round of 16 in the Copa Sudamericana.

A recent third-place finish in the top tier of Chilean football in 2025 allowed O’Higgins to enter Copa Libertadores qualifying, before subsequently dropping to the group stage of the continent’s secondary tournament after a victory over Bahia and a cumulative loss to Deportes Tolima.

El Capo de Provincia then made their way to the knockout round playoff by finishing second in group C, missing out on first place by two points and edging out Millonarios into the top two with a final-match win to keep their continental aspirations alive.

Last week, they traveled to Boca Juniors for the first leg after securing an aggregate win over Nublense in the Copa de la Liga to reach the final; however, they suffered a close 2-0 defeat in Argentina and lost 2-0 to Deportes Concepcion in their latest league appearance on Monday, placing them 10th in the standings after 16 games.

Despite being down, O’Higgins now returns home needing to overturn a single-goal deficit to qualify for the Copa Sudamericana round of 16.

On the other hand, Boca Juniors will look to secure their advancement with their narrow lead from the first leg.

Boca Juniors earned their spot in the Copa Sudamericana knockout round playoff after failing to advance past their Copa Libertadores group, where they secured third place behind Universidad Catolica and Cruzeiro, finishing with seven points from six matches.

The six-time Copa Libertadores and two-time Copa Sudamericana winners faced O’Higgins and carried a one-goal advantage into the second leg, thanks to Miguel Merentiel’s goal when the teams met at La Bombonera just before halftime.

Rodolfo Arruabarrena’s squad also encountered their own disappointing domestic defeat recently, losing 3-0 at Deportivo Riestra in their first match of the Liga Profesional Clausura phase, having finished second in the Apertura table but eliminated in the first round of the playoffs.

Desperate to make a significant progress in South America’s secondary tournament amid what has been a challenging campaign by their standards, Boca Juniors will aim to leverage their lead and move forward after Friday’s match.

Team News

O’Higgins is expected to field a similar starting XI to the one used in last week’s away match, having rotated players for their league game against Deportes Concepcion on Monday.

Arnaldo Castillo, who has scored 12 goals this season, will return to the attack, while winger Francisco Gonzalez leads the team with 13 goals in all competitions this season alongside 15 assists.

Juan Leiva should reclaim his position in midfield alongside Felipe Ogaz, a key player in their Copa Sudamericana campaign so far, while Miguel Brizuela and Alan Robledo are likely to resume their center-back partnership.

Boca Juniors also made significant changes to their starting XI in their last match compared to the first leg and will likely revert to a similar formation, with attackers Milton Gimenez and Adam Bareiro both ruled out due to injuries.

Miguel Merentiel, following his goal in the first leg, will lead the attack again, bringing his tally to seven for the season, while Lionel Flores and Sebastian Villa are expected to line up alongside him at La Bombonera.

Star player Leandro Paredes has rejoined the team after participating in the World Cup final with Argentina, and he will return to the midfield after being rested over the weekend, while Santiago Ascacibar hopes to start in the middle alongside Milton Delgado and the 19-year-old Tomas Aranda, who were both regulars in the Copa Libertadores group stage.

O’Higgins probable starting XI:

Carabali; Faundez, Robledo, Brizuela, Pavez; Ogaz, Leiva; Gonzalez, Rabello, Sarrafiore; Castillo

Boca Juniors probable starting XI:

Huntsman; Gorosito, Figal, Costa, Blanco; Delgado, Paredes, Aranda; Flowers, Merentiel, Villa

Although Boca Juniors secured a narrow 1-0 win at home in the first leg, they possess the stronger squad and should be capable of maintaining their lead while having opportunities to counter against an attacking O’Higgins side.