Boca Juniors and Barcelona of Ecuador are set to clash this Tuesday at the Bombonera, in a match officiated by Colombian referee Wilmar Roldán. This fixture marks the second round of the Copa Libertadores 2026, with both teams having distinct motivations but a shared objective of securing three crucial points for the Group D standings.
The game kicks off at 9:30 PM (Argentine time) and will be broadcast live on Fox Sports, a channel accessible online via Flow, DGO, and Telecentro Play; it is also available on the Disney+ Premium digital platform. For live minute-by-minute coverage, including updated information and statistics, canchallena.com will provide instant updates.
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The other match in this group will feature Cruzeiro and Universidad Católica of Chile, playing this Wednesday in Brazil.
Boca Juniors, the group’s top seed, began their tournament journey with a 2-1 victory over Universidad Católica of Chile in Santiago. They now play in front of their home crowd, hoping for another win to pave their way to the Round of 16, even with four group matches still remaining.
Last Saturday, the team drew 1-1 against Independiente in the Torneo Apertura 2026, fielding a lineup predominantly composed of substitutes to preserve players for this international fixture and the Superclásico against River Plate at the Monumental stadium on Sunday, April 19. Only goalkeeper Agustín Marchesín and Santiago Ascacíbar, who are regular starters, participated in that match and will feature again against the Ecuadorian opponents. Leandro Paredes and Tomás Aranda return to the squad, having missed the game against “el Rojo” due to suspension and technical decision, respectively.
Santiago Ascacíbar será uno de los mediocampistas titulares de Boca este martes – Créditos: @Manuel Cortina
The Guayaquil-based club started the group stage with a 1-0 home defeat against Cruzeiro and must secure a positive outcome at the Bombonera to avoid falling further behind in the standings. Their Copa Libertadores journey began in the repechage rounds, where they successively eliminated Argentinos Juniors and Botafogo of Brazil, thus establishing themselves as a formidable opponent for the club from the La Boca neighborhood.
Their squad includes several Argentine players, most notably Darío Benedetto, who boasts a significant history with Boca Juniors. “El Pipa” will return to the Bombonera following his somewhat contentious departure in the previous cycle, though fans are likely to give him a warm reception given his strong performances for the club. Other Argentine talents in the Ecuadorian team are Milton Celiz, Luca Sosa, Matías Lugo, former River Plate player Tomás Martínez, and Héctor ‘Tito’ Villalba.
Darío Benedetto es uno de los argentinos que tiene Barcelona de Ecuador en su plantel
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Boca Juniors: Agustín Marchesín; Marcelo Weigandt, Lautaro Di Lollo, Ayrton Costa, Lautaro Blanco; Santiago Ascacíbar, Milton Delgado, Leandro Paredes, Tomás Aranda; Miguel Merentiel and Adam Bareiro. Coach: Claudio Úbeda.
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Barcelona: José Contreras; Bryan Carabalí, Álex Rangel, Javier Báez, Gustavo Vallecilla; Jhonny Quiñónez, Matías Lugo, Milton Céliz; Luis Cano, Héctor Villalba and Darío Benedetto. Coach: César Farías.
Ahead of the match, the home team is considered the favorite to win according to betting odds, with a maximum payout of 1.43. A defeat for Boca, i.e., a victory for the visitor, is quoted at 9.0, while a draw fetches 4.33.
The head-to-head record between these two teams includes eight previous encounters: Boca has secured four victories, Barcelona two, and there have been two draws. Their most recent meetings occurred during the 2021 Copa Libertadores group stage, where the Ecuadorian side claimed a home victory, and the match at the Bombonera concluded in a goalless draw.