04/24/2024 8:19 p.m.Updated on 04/24/2024 8:28 p.m.
“With the presence of torcida, Boca Juniors disembarks in Fortaleza”, announced the Brazilian media, highlighting the Xeneizes fans who welcomed the delegation both at the airport and at the hotel located in front of the beach of this city in northern Brazil. Where Boca arrived to face Fortaleza this Thursday for the third date of the Copa Sudamericana. Without the presence of Edinson Cavani but accompanied by Juan Román Riquelme.
As always, there were fans everywhere. In this case, some at the Pinto Martins airport. And also in the concentration, fresh from the beach, some in swimsuits and without shirts, and others with Boca t-shirts. Of course, the encouragement and applause were the same. After the superclassic, Miguel Merentiel was the most applauded by Boca fans.
Unlike all the previous times when they were received at the hotel by supporters, the Boca players were not able to greet the fans, take photos or sign autographs at the request of security. And the intense rain that was falling at that time.
Among the fans there were several who had taken the opportunity to take a few days of vacation on the Brazilian beaches and, in between, watch Boca in the Sudamericana. But also some locals who sympathize with Xeneize. One, for example, was waiting for the Matador with the Chango Zeballos shirt. “I’m from Fortaleza but I wanted Cavani’s signature”revealed the Brazilian boy.
He arrived in Fortaleza without the Matador but with Román
By decision of the coaching staff, Edinson Cavani did not travel to Brazil because he was not 100% clear of the discomfort (blow and cramp) with which he ended Sunday’s superclassic. For this reason, the CT chose to leave him training in Ezeiza and not subject him to a trip of more than six hours when he was going to rotate and sit on the bench.
For Román it will be the first trip in this South American Cup, since in the first away game, against Nacional in Potosí, only part of the Council traveled: Cascini, Delgado and Serna. The three will accompany him this time to Brazil.
The 11th that Martínez stopped
Martínez knows that Boca is playing for a large part of the qualification in the Sudamericana in Brazil, but the semi-final with Estudiantes for the League Cup is also on the radar. For this reason, in the rehearsal he did prior to the trip to Ceará, the coach tried a mixed formation, in which there were some surprises. And in which he also defined the replacement for Edinson Cavani.
The 11 that the coach stopped in practice this Wednesday at Boca Predio had: Rosemary; Di Lollo, Lema, Figal, Saracchi; Saralegui, Medina, Equi Fernández, Fabra; Langoni and Merentiel.
