Argentina’s fourth edition of the Copa de la Liga Profesional comes to life. A turning point for the teams competing in two groups to advance to the quarter-finals. For now, we see Huracan and Racing ahead: Can they last until the end?
First stage of Copa de la Liga Argentina: eight places for twenty-eight competitors
The Copa de la Liga Argentina is still a tournament that is almost in an experimental stage. It was born in 2020 to replace the Argentine Super Cup and was born today due to the need to award trophies after repeated suspensions due to Covid-19 restrictions. It has become a very popular trophy by both Argentinian and international audiences.
Boca Juniors have won two of the three tournaments thanks to their success against Banfield in the final in 2020 and last year’s 3-0 win over Retegui’s Tigre (who later transferred to Genoa). But River Plate is still dry It is managed by former Bayern Munich defender Martin Demichelis, who has put the Copa de la Liga Argentina among his declared targets this season after winning the regular Primera Division title that ended last July.
Copa de la Liga Argentina 2023
The tournament formula is very special. The 28 teams are actually divided into two groups of 14 each and compete in one-way matches. Thirteen matches of the group an additional match is then addedIt is played against a historical opponent from the other group. For example, River plays against Boca. in the legendary SuperclasicoOne of the most famous and hottest derbies in the world.
Other classic rivalries examined by the competition are the rivalry between Colon and Union in the Santa Fé derby. Newell’s Old Boys vs Rosario CentraleThe Rosarina fight and the Indipendiente – Racing match, which pits two clubs from the city of Avellaneda against each other.
The favorite team to win the tournament was once again Boca Juniors. After a terrible campaign in the national championship Jorge Almiron entered the game instead of Hugo Ibarra.This brought a breath of fresh air and, above all, the Copa Libertadores semi-final, where Xeneizes will play against Brazilian Palmeiras (first leg in Buenos Aires 0-0).
We can trust Almiron Edinson Cavani’s immortal talent up front and Romero between the posts, there are guys like Valentin Barco (the nineteen-year-old full-back who has already caught Guardiola’s attention) and Ezequiel Fernandez (the 21-year-old midfielder who Brighton apparently already has). offered for more than 20 million euros) will leave its mark.
River are chasing it on paper but start with the psychological advantage of winning the Primera Division. right now it is Pablo Solari is the soul of the teamThe 22-year-old striker arrives from Colo Colo, having scored three goals in six Copa de la Liga matches, is under the watchful eye of Bologna and Nice and ready to bring him to Europe.
Outsiders: Watch out for Huracan and Racing
Huracan, the team from the New Pompeya neighborhood in the south of Buenos Aires, the team with the hot air balloon symbol on its coat of arms, the team with which the legendary Flaco Pastore set out for Palermo, and Osvaldo Soriano’s team again. Favorite team of one of the greatest Argentine writers of the last century Argentina tops Group A in Copa de la Liga. After all, we cannot talk about an absolute surprise. The team led by Diego Martinez achieved a good Primera Division title, finishing fourth and qualifying for the Libertadores years later.
The backbone of the starting 11 remained intact; Coccaro was added up front and old acquaintance Pussetto, who formerly played for Udinese and Sampdoria, was added to the attacking department. The road is still long but who knows what Huracan cannot surprise and continue to win the competition. The situation is different for Racing, which is focusing on Fernando Gago on the bench in 2021 and trying to build a long-term project. If it is true that La Academia won the International Super Cup against Boca in February 2023, the results are already starting to come.
Now the last effort is also missing: the victory of a more prestigious tournament that would definitively confirm Gago’s work, featuring, among other things, very interesting men like Juan Ignacio Nardoni is a complete midfielder and is already in Fulham’s sightsand Nicolás Kozlovsky, a 20-year-old defender who loves the Bundesliga. With Boca already in the Libertadores and River struggling after some poor passes, this could be the right time to see Racing return to success.
