Talleres – Boca Juniors: The match is underway, but Boca’s lineup reveals a bigger calculation
Talleres – Boca Juniors is already in motion at the Estadio Mario Alberto Kempes for matchday 13 of the Torneo Apertura 2026, with confirmed lineups, a notable injury absence for Boca, and a selection decision that appears shaped as much by what comes next as by what is happening tonight.
What is happening now in Talleres – Boca Juniors?
The game is being played in Córdoba at the Estadio Mario Alberto Kempes as part of the 13th round of the Torneo Apertura 2026. Boca arrived after a 2–0 win over Instituto at La Bombonera, with goals from Tomás Aranda and Adam Bareiro. Talleres arrived after a 2–1 win over Independiente in Avellaneda, with goals from Augusto Schott and Valentín Dávila.
The confirmed Talleres XI is: Guido Herrera; Augusto Schott, Matías Catalán, Santiago Fernández, Gabriel Báez; Mateo Cáceres, Matías Galarza; Ulises Ortegoza, Franco Cristaldo, Rick Lima; Ronaldo Martínez. The head coach is Carlos Tevez.
The confirmed Boca XI is: Leandro Brey; Juan Barinaga, Nicolás Figal, Marco Pellegrino, Malcom Braida; Ander Herrera, Tomás Belmonte, Milton Delgado, Tomás Aranda; Miguel Merentiel y Adam Bareiro. The head coach is Claudio Ubeda.
The match is available on Premium.
Why does Boca’s selection matter beyond Talleres – Boca Juniors?
Boca is playing without Agustín Marchesín, who is out injured. Beyond the immediate impact of that absence, Boca’s broader planning is explicit: the club has a Copa Libertadores debut scheduled for Tuesday against Católica in Chile.
That near-term continental fixture hangs over tonight’s decisions, including the handling of Leandro Paredes. Paredes was included in Boca’s traveling group of 26 players for the trip to Córdoba, despite having recently played on Tuesday with the Argentina national team in a friendly against Zambia. The coaching staff faced a choice: start him or keep him on the bench. In the confirmed starters, he is not in the XI.
In addition, Boca used the international break to regain players who had been injured. Santiago Ascacíbar, Tomás Belmonte, Ángel Romero, and Milton Giménez returned to the squad picture. Giménez, in particular, was included in a list of concentrated players for the first time this year, with the possibility of minutes if the coaching staff decides.
There were also omissions tied directly to making space for returning names: Iker Zufiaurre and Gonzalo Gelini were left out of the list. Marchesín, injured, was also not included.
Form, standings, and the off-field note shaping the night
Before kickoff, the teams were close in Zone A positioning: Talleres sat 5th, while Boca was listed as 6th in the same zone. Boca’s tournament numbers were noted as 13 goals scored and 7 conceded, alongside an eight-match unbeaten run as it sought to extend that streak. Talleres, for its part, was described as needing a win to reduce the gap to the leader, Vélez.
One additional pressure point surrounds Boca’s captain, who was described as a doubt to start due to an accumulation risk: a further booking and “a bad decision” could leave him out of the match against River. The captain’s identity was not specified in the provided information, and the confirmed XI does not clarify the question independently.
Off the pitch, a security-related episode also surfaced. One of the leaders of Boca’s barra traveled to Córdoba independently—separately from the organized fan group—and at the airport in the provincial capital was notified he would not be allowed to attend the match against Talleres.
In the stands, Boca’s allocation was fully taken: the club sold out the 11, 000 tickets it had available for this match, and the stadium’s popular section was expected to be completely full.
Talleres – Boca Juniors, then, is not only a matchday 13 fixture with immediate table implications. It is also a snapshot of how Boca is managing injuries, returning players, and minutes with the Copa Libertadores debut looming—while a separate set of crowd, security, and disciplinary storylines run alongside the football itself.
