5 Reasons Why Boca Will Win the Superclassico

Earlier this week, the Boca Offside featured, what I thought at least, was an open and honest interview with irreplaceable Boca Juniors playmaker, Juan Roman Riquelme. In this interview, our number 10 gave a trenchant, thoughtful analysis of this Sunday’s Superclassico opponents, River Plate. For those of you who didn’t read the interview, here’s a quick summary –

“…Llama f*ckers…”

Now, whilst Romi’s views are his own (and by no way reflect the views of this blogger or theoffside.com, yada yada yada), they do, in a nice, neat way it must be said, encapsulate just how Boca Juniors fans feel about River Plate. And, to be fair, I’m quite certain the feelings are mutual.

Yes, this pure, unadulterated hatred has meant that Boca and River can lay claim to one of world footballs great rivalries. The teams have done their part on the pitch, as well. Of the 323 Superclassico’s that have ever taken place, River have won 104, 101 have been drawn and on 118 occasions Boca have come out victorious.

See, we are the better team. Maths says so. Better than those, those, those… espresso drinking (El Monumental is the only stadium I’ve ever been too that has mobile espresso vendors), gucci wearing, corporate elitist gallinas (chickens)…think they’re so big…

Deep breath Brett. Settle down. Compose yourself.

My apologies. Over the course of this week I have been pondering the reasons why we will get our 119th win at El Monumental on Sunday afternoon. Here, in classic blog style (and no particular order), are my top 5:

1. We are in wicked form – We weren’t a month ago, but we are now. Three wins from our last three, our many guns are finally firing at the same time, and in the same direction. Our strikers are scoring goals, our midfielders are working together and our defense….well, they are doing better than they were. For us, this match comes at the perfect moment.

2. River are a shambles – That’s being a little nice, actually. They are in shocking form. Disgusting form. Shameful form. Yes, Atletico Madrid form. 16th on the table with a single win. As Roman knowledgeably pointed out in his interview, Los Millonarios are winless in their last 7, that’s right, 7, league matches. In that time they’ve scored just five times and conceded double that. Pathetic.

3. We have quality in abundance – The league, not just River, should be quaking in their boots at the sight of this momentum gathering Boca outfit. Why? Look at the quality in our ranks. On Sunday we will have Riquelme, Battaglia, Palermo, Viatri, Insua, Gaitan, Monzon, Ibarra, Caceres and Pato ready and raring to go. Match winners everywhere. Outrageous.

And River? Not so much quality in abundance as mediocrity. New manager Leo Astrada has inherited a side with no recognizable, let alone decent, strikers. Last weekend he was forced to play Diego Buonanotte and Ariel Ortega up front – neither of which are currently capable of leading the attack. But, the most telling fact is this – there are simply no players in this River team which genuinely strike fear into the hearts of their opponents. Not a match winner in sight.

4. What home ground advantage? – El Monumental should be a fortress, a frightening place where visiting teams are scared to leave the relatively safety of their dressing room. But, it isn’t. Like the team itself, El Monumental isn’t least bit intimidating these days, visiting teams winning with increasing regularity. Don’t expect it to be a factor.

5. Romi – After his midweek comments, it would be remiss of me not to mention him. Off all the players capable of deciding the match, it is he who is most likely. Romi has been displaying his entire repertoire in recent weeks – back heels, outrageous strikes and killer passes. He will have a field day against River.

So, there you have it. Why Boca Juniors will win the Superclassico.

Now, to my prediction. As much as I would love to see us hand out an 8-0 drubbing, I think a more likely score is something in the region of 3-1. Regardless of the outcome, it will surely be a great game – they always are.

I’m will leave you with a special Youtube video. Boca and River fans may hate each other with passion, but I think there’s one thing we can all agree on – hot chicks are hot.

Vamos Boca…

Category: Boca Team News