Copa Libertadores - Nacional vs Boca Juniors Preview and Prediction: It's the First Leg of the Quarters
Both teams battle for a spot in the semis.
In the final stages of the Copa Libertadores, Boca Juniors and Nacional face-off at Estadio Gran Parque Central in the first leg of their quarterfinal matchup. This battle is on May 12, 2016 at 6:30 PM ET.
Both teams have deserved their rightful spots in the quarters and are now going head-to-head for only one seat in the semis.
Featuring in the second round of the competition, Nacional were put in a tough group where they were pitted against Rosario Central, Palmeiras and River Plate.
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Playing six games, Nacional only won twice but drew three times to keep their second spot intact with nine points.
Rosario Central finished on top with 11 points, while Palmeiras were short as they finished with eight.
For Nacional, they barely got by as they got the points they needed to make it to the last-16 of the competition.
From there, they went against Brazilian squad Corinthians and held on to a goalless draw in their home leg before finishing the job as they settled for a 2-2 draw in the away leg but moved on thanks to the away goal rule.
Now they must try to step-up their pace and play better if they want to get past Boca Juniors.
One of the more successful teams in Argentina, Boca Juniors sealed their spot in the final stages by winning Group 3 in the group stages.
They went unbeaten and were the only unbeaten team in their cluster. By the end of the group stages they were three points clear of closest rival Racing Club.
In the knockout stages, Boca battled Paraguay club Cerro Porteno and dominated their rivals, winning the away leg 2-1 before dominating at home 3-1 to win with an aggregate of 5-2.
Undoubtedly the favourites in the group, look for Boca to try and establish their dominance early en route to a first leg victory.
