Boca and a Tuesday of celebration or crisis: the cursed streak that they will try to break in the Copa Libertadores in Gago's 21st match

He was the King of America, beyond the badge that Independiente has held and maintained since 1984. It was during the times of Carlos Bianchi as coach and with Martín Palermo , Guillermo Barros Schelotto and Juan Román Riquelme , today's president. Boca was imposing itself throughout the continent. However, it has been four years since it won a head-to-head for the Copa Libertadores. It was precisely in 2020, when Fernando Gago retired with the Vélez shirt. Boca is debating between this particular number, and the urgency of achieving it this Tuesday night.

Questions are being asked about the team's level. Why isn't it getting off to a good start? How much of it is the coach's fault and how much is it the players'? This time, although Riquelme is usually the target of questions, few will be able to point the finger at the Football Council. After all, 25 million dollars were invested in reinforcements .

La Bombonera, where they last won a Copa match that obsesses them on December 23, 2020 against Racing (2-0), will be an open town hall against Alianza Lima. They will be forced to cut the negative streak against the Peruvians, who won by the minimum difference in Peru. There are already 14 direct elimination duels without a win. With a worrying addition: in 11 of them, they did not score goals. Even so, they reached the final of the 2023 Libertadores, when they fell 2-1 to Fluminense at the Maracaná.

The review begins in the semi-finals of the 2020 Cup, when they drew 0-0 with Santos at La Bombonera and fell 3-0 in Vila Belmiro. The following year, it was 0-0 at home and 0-0 away against Atlético Mineiro, who beat them on penalties. The same situation occurred in 2022. There were no goals in San Pablo and neither in Buenos Aires against Corinthians, who again won from the twelve steps. Both losses against the Brazilians occurred in the round of 16.

In 2023, the tables were turned . With Chiquito Romero at his best, they went through penalties against Nacional (0-0 and 2-2), Racing (0-0 in both games) and Palmeiras (0-0 and 1-1). Against Fluminense, it was a defeat that still hurts.

It will be a challenge for Boca to close this match. The Peruvians arrive with an advantage and a coach who knows the ropes. Néstor Gorosito said that the stadium is not playing, that it is "biri, biri". However, those from outside will not be a stick. On Saturday, without going any further, they said they were not happy with the team. They expressed their anger through songs that were only calmed by the victory against Aldosivi.

Gago asked the fans to trust the team , which will give its all. For the coach, it will be a decisive clash for his future. Elimination in phase 2 will not only shatter the dream of the seventh; it will also prevent him from competing in the Sudamericana, the consolation of phase 3. And it will undermine his cycle, which already has 21 games and many ups and downs.

Pintita 's record includes 10 wins, 6 draws and 5 losses. His team scored 26 goals and conceded 18. The percentage is favourable with 57%.

However, there is a leak in this calculation: the elimination of the Copa Argentina in the semifinals with Vélez, which put this panorama of uncertainty in the Libertadores.

However, what is most worrying is not the numbers but their performance. The team has a vague identity, with very few moments of good football, and Gago has already been in charge of the team for four months.

Throughout his time, Gago used 7 tactical schemes. In 2024, the 4-3-3 predominated. Since this year, he has used the 4-3-1-2 with Carlos Palacios as the playmaker, or the 4-2-3-1, always with the Chilean behind the “9”, or the 4-1-4-1 on Saturday. He never repeated the same team.

"I believe a lot in internal competition," said the coach, who this year used 29 players in the nine matches that Boca played (one for the Copa Argentina, another for the Libertadores and the rest for the Apertura Tournament).

There is a recurring situation in the squad and the question has to do with physical preparation. Gago is very demanding with weight and training. Professor Roberto Luzzi strictly follows his instructions. But in 2025 he has already added five torn players: Ander Herrera (right hamstring), Tomás Belmonte (left calf), Ignacio Miramón (right quadriceps), Ayrton Costa (biceps femoris lower right limb) and Camilo Rey Domenech (right soleus).

In addition, he was almost without Edinson Cavani, who suffered a small fracture in a vertebra, and Marcos Rojo only returned on Saturday, after inflammation in his Achilles heel. He had only played 45 minutes. Both will be available for Tuesday, as will Herrera and Costa.

That's where Gago's responsibility lies. What about the footballers who have been criticised for their attitude on social media? Alan Velasco, above all, is the most questioned. So far, he has not justified the payment of 10 million dollars that Boca made to Dallas FC. He played 7 games and his performance was average to poor.

Williams Alarcón is another of the new signings who has not been up to par so far. Herrera is another who has played very little due to injury; Palacios has been in a bit of a rut and Rodrigo Battaglia has not stood out. Marchesín and Costa are the ones who have the thumbs up. Among those who were already there, all of them have shown a performance ranging from average to poor.

"We have the return match at home, we are going to go with a lot of confidence and knowing what we have to do, improve and try to get the result. I tell the fans to trust, that we are going to work and try to make Boca a team that competes and achieves qualification. These are football issues," said Gago.

La Bombonera will play its match, although Alianza Lima has a high-impact precedent: it won in 1966 with a goal from Víctor Zegarra. Boca hopes that this time it will be different, of course.