Boca Juniors faces Deportivo Riestra in Apertura 2026 opener

Deportivo Riestra faces Boca Juniors on Sunday in the first round of the Torneo Apertura 2026, with kickoff set for 7:30 PM at the Guillermo Laza stadium. The match will be broadcast live on ESPN Premium and available on streaming platforms Flow, DGO, and Telecentro Play.

Riestra, nicknamed "El Malevo," enters the league match after a penalty shootout victory over San Lorenzo in the Copa Argentina. Despite advancing, the team's primary focus is the league, where they desperately need points to escape the bottom of the annual standings. They currently sit third from last, just three points above Estudiantes de Río Cuarto, who are in a relegation spot.

Boca Juniors, under coach Rodolfo Arruabarrena, has secured two recent wins: a 2-0 victory against Sarmiento de Junín in the Copa Argentina and a 1-0 win over O’Higgins of Chile in the first leg of the Copa Sudamericana. With a crucial second leg match in Rancagua approaching on Thursday, Arruabarrena has opted to rest key players such as Leandro Paredes, Dylan Gorosito, Nicolás Figal, and Sebastián Villa for Sunday's league fixture.

The "Xeneize" endured a difficult first half of the year, marked by early exits from the Copa Libertadores and the Apertura tournament. They are eager to reclaim a championship title, a feat they haven't achieved since the Supercopa Argentina in March 2023, to appease their fanbase. Betting odds favor Boca Juniors as the away team, with a maximum payout of 1.98 compared to 4.83 for a Riestra victory. A draw is priced at 2.93. The last encounter between these two teams saw Boca win 1-0 at La Bombonera.

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