What: Copa Libertadores Final First Leg
Who: Boca Juniors vs Corinthians
When: Wednesday 27th June, 2012, at 21:50 local time, 01:50 UK time (28th)
Where: La Bombonera, Buenos Aires, Argentina
Been There, Done That, Got The Trophy
When Boca Juniors step out onto the Bombonera pitch they will be competing in their tenth Copa Libertadores final. The Argentine giants are six-time winners, four of which have come since the turn of the millennium, and have the opportunity to equal their Buenos Aires rivals Independiente on seven titles if they can defeat Corinthians of Sao Paulo in this year’s final.
History is certainly on Boca’s side, with their fearsome reputation as slayers of Brazilian teams having solid basis in fact. In the ten Copa Libertadores knockout ties since 2000 in which they have faced Brazilian opposition they have only once failed to emerge victorious. What’s more, in the same period they have defeated Brazilian opposition in the final on three separate occasions.
The current side is built around a strong, deep-lying defence marshalled by the 39-year-old Rolando Schiavi and protected by the positionally adroit Leandro Somoza, and is elevated to a winning team by the genius of Juan Roman Riquelme and the endless running of quick forwards, including the vacuous yet relatively effective Pablo Mouche.
Boca carried the aura of a team who have done it all before in their wins over Fluminense and Universidad de Chile in the last two rounds. However, coach Julio Cesar Falcioni is wary of the threat posed by Corinthians, describing them as “compact and quick,” attributes that could potentially expose some of Boca’s weaknesses.
Breaking The Duck
While Boca Juniors enjoy a storied and successful history in the Copa Libertadores, Corinthians are appearing in the final of the competition for the first time. Despite being the best supported club in Brazil’s second city they lack the continental crown of their city rivals Palmeiras and Sao Paulo, leaving them with an inferiority complex they are desperate to shake off.
Falcioni’s description of Corinthians is certainly an apt one, as their superb defensive record in the competition thus far attests. The Timao have conceded just three goals on route to the final and remain undefeated in group and knockout play. They too have proven adept at knocking out teams from Brazil, disposing of Vasco da Gama and the reigning champions, Santos.
Coach Tite has moulded a hard-working team that defend in numbers and break quickly through the pace of Emerson Sheik and Jorge Henrique, and quality of Alex and Danilo. The injury-enforced absence of former Sporting Lisbon striker Liedson has seen Tite adopt a formation best described as a 4-2-4-0, a tactic that proved effective in stifling Santos over the two legs of the semi-final.
Tite has described his team as “confident” ahead of the final, yet stressed the importance of “mental toughness” and “concentration” ahead of the first leg in what is likely to be a cauldron-like atmosphere in La Bombonera.
“I once played in a semi-final at the Fonte Nova with 93,000 spectators,” he reminisced. “You couldn’t hear your team-mate three metres away, but with the ball at your feet let them scream, none of them can take the ball off you. It’s all about concentration.”
Recent form
Boca Juniors:
Boca Juniors 0-3 Arsenal (17/06; Argentine Primera Division)
Universidad de Chile 0-0 Boca Juniors (21/06; Copa Libertadores)
All Boys 3-1 Boca Juniors (24/06; Argentine Primera Division)
Corinthians:
Ponte Preta 1-0 Corinthians (17/06; Brazilian Serie A)
Corinthians 1-1 Santos (20/06; Copa Libertadores)
Corinthians 2-1 Palmeiras (24/06; Brazilian Serie A)
Players to watch
Boca Juniors – Juan Roman Riquelme: A three-time Copa Libertadores winner, Riquelme provides equanimity and precision, his grace of movement and touch pivotal to elevating a team otherwise well balanced but lacking in imagination to potential champions of the continent. He was instrumental in the victories over Union Espanola and Fluminense, and produced a classic performance of considered playmaking in the first leg of the semi-final win over Universidad de Chile.
Corinthians – Paulinho: Solid and a consistent performer in the centre of midfield, Paulinho is strong into the tackle yet also willing to burst forward ahead of the ball once possession is won. His forceful run provided the assist for Emerson Sheik’s goal in the first leg of the semi-final against Santos, while he has also been on the score-sheet three times himself during the campaign, including the headed goal that eliminated Vasco da Gama in the quarter-finals.
Match Prediction
Boca Juniors will be hoping to build a strong advantage ahead of the second leg in Sao Paulo and with the boisterous Bombonera crowd behind them are favourites in the first leg of this tie. Corinthians’ defence have, however, proved incredibly difficult to break down in the competition so far, and thus a victory by any more than the odd goal seems unlikely.
