Boca onto Copa de la Liga quarters, sets up Superclásico clash with River

Godoy Cruz, Estudiantes de La Plata, and Defensa y Justicia also made it into the knockout stage

Argentine football giant Boca Juniors is through to the Copa de la Liga quarterfinals as the group stages wrapped up on Tuesday night. 

The Xeneize beat Group B leader Godoy Cruz 1-0 to secure a spot in the knockout stage and set up a match with none other than traditional rival River Plate, who led Group A. 

All knockout stage series will be played on neutral ground with both sets of fans, meaning this will be the first Superclásico with fans from both teams since the 2018 Copa Libertadores final and the first in a domestic game since 2012.

The game will be held at the Mario Alberto Kempes stadium in Córdoba. A recent re-sewing of the playing field had put the site in doubt, but a spokesperson for the provincial sports agency that owns the stadium confirmed to the Herald that the works, which are standard and required before the early winter, were completed last Thursday and that the stadium was ready to host the game. The organization announced on Wednesday the game will be played at the Kempes at 3:30 p.m on Sunday, April 21.

Second placed in Group B was Estudiantes de La Plata, who came back from behind to beat Lanús away 2-1 and will now face Barracas Central. They will play at the Estadio Vicente López in Buenos Aires Province, on Saturday 20 at 6:30 p.m.

Defensa y Justicia’s agonic win against Newell’s Old Boys proved enough for the Halcón to earn third place and seal its spot in the quarters, where it will face Argentinos Juniors. The will face-off Saturday at 3:30 p.m. at Banfield’s Florencio Solá stadium.

Group B leader Godoy Cruz, the only team that reached its final game having already qualified, will face Group A’s last entry, Vélez Sarsfield. The game will kick-off at 9:15 p.m. at the Estadio Único de Villa Mercedes, in San Luis Province, also on Saturday.

Series are played as a single-game affair, with no extra time after regulation, instead being decided with a penalty shoot-out. Winners will play in the semifinals on April 28. The final is set to take place on May 5. A cable subscription and the additional “Pack Fútbol” are required to watch all games.

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