Argentine football heavyweight Boca Juniors hosts Brazilian giant Palmeiras this Thursday in the Copa Libertadores semifinal. The game, set to be played at the La Bombonera stadium is the first leg of the series, with the second game to be played next week in São Paulo.

The Xeneize is looking for its seventh title in the competition, a win that would put them on par with all-time record winners Independiente. It won it for the last time in 2007, led by Juan Román Riquelme’s inspired performances in his return to Argentina. 

“It’s not easy to play in a Copa Libertadores semi-finals, but we hope we can reach the final,” said Riquelme, who now leads Boca from the team’s board of directors. “The team is looking good, we have good players, with some experienced ones and some youngsters. If we do things right we’ll have our chance to win.”

Boca has reached this stage after winning group F, although it struggled to get past Uruguay’s Nacional and local rival Racing Club, requiring a penalty shootout to win both series. Now, the Xeneize is in the final four for the first time since 2020, when it lost to another Brazilian team, Santos. 

Palmeiras also came out on top in their group and went on to beat Atlético Mineiro from Brazil and Deportivo Pereira from Colombia. The Verdão, as the club is affectionately known, is making its fourth consecutive appearance in the semis, having won the 2020 and 2021 tournaments before falling to fellow countrymen Athletico Paranaense in last year’s semis.

“It will be a very tough game, there is no doubt about that,” said Palmeiras captain Gustavo Gómez. “It’s a clash of giants. I think the first leg will be key. We are very focused, working very hard to achieve a positive result in Buenos Aires.”

The two teams have a storied rivalry in the Copa Libertadores. Boca beat Palmeiras in the 2000 final, as well as the 2001 semis. However, it’s the Brazilian giant who leads the head-to-head tally, with three wins to the Xeneize‘s two and seven ties. The last time they met was in the 2018 Copa Libertadores semi-finals, where Boca won 2-0 at home and then wrapped the series up in Sao Paulo with a 2-2 tie. 

It’s the start of a tense week for Boca, with the Superclásico derby game against River Plate sandwiched between its Copa Libertadores commitments.This Thursday’s game will be played at 9:30 Argentina time, at La Bombonera with Colombian referee Wilmar Roldán. It can be watched live on Telefé and Fox Sports television channels, as well as streaming platforms such as Star+, Pluto TV, Flow, DGO, and Telecentro Play.