Enner Valencia makes first start for Boca Juniors

Enner Valencia will make his first start for Boca Juniors on Sept. 5, 2026, giving the Ecuadorian striker a new chance to end his goal drought with the club.

Valencia will lead the attack against Gimnasia y Esgrima de Mendoza in the eighth round of Argentina’s Torneo Clausura. The match will begin at 2:30 p.m. at the Víctor Antonio Legrotaglie stadium.

It will be Valencia’s fifth appearance for Boca, but his first from the opening whistle. The 36-year-old has not scored since joining the Argentine side, increasing the pressure on Ecuador’s all-time leading scorer. He also missed a penalty in Boca’s recent Copa Argentina shootout against Vélez Sarsfield.

Valencia entered that match in the 61st minute, which finished 0-0 after regulation time. He took Boca’s third penalty, but Tomás Marchiori saved it. Boca still won the shootout 4-3 and reached the quarterfinals, with Álvaro Montero stopping two attempts.

Coach Rodolfo Arruabarrena continues to trust Valencia despite a scoring drought of more than 100 days. Valencia joined Boca on Aug. 9, 2026, and has a contract through Dec. 31, 2027. Boca’s next challenge after the Gimnasia match will be a Copa Sudamericana quarterfinal against São Paulo.