- Newell's form: Newell's are unbeaten in their last 5 matches, winning 2 and drawing 3, so they're a tough opponent.
- Boca form: Boca Juniors are a little more volatile, with 2 wins, 1 draw and 2 defeats in their last 5.
Boca to edge out a nervy game
Newell's Old Boys followed a 1-1 away draw with Velez Sarsfield in the Liga Profesional – Apertura 2026 by a 1-0 victory over Talleres de Cordoba at home in the Liga Profesional – Clausura 2026. Boca Juniors, meanwhile, have played Newell's and got the better of them, winning 2-0 at home. They have dominated this fixture over the years, with Newell's winning just 1 of the last 5 meetings and Boca winning 4.
Boca are favourites here, at 2.22, with Newell's at 3.4 and the draw at 3.05. This looks like a tight and tense game, and the matchup between Newell's patient, possession-oriented 4-1-4-1 or 4-3-1-2 style and Boca's flexible 4-4-2, 4-3-3 or compact 4-2-3-1 with width and verticality suits an Under 2.5 bet, which is priced up at 1.53. Both Teams to Score – No at 1.7 is similarly tight and cagey.
Ignacio Ramirez to strike for Newell’s
Tactical setup
Newell's are very well organised and stubbornly result-focused under Frank Kudelka, while Boca have had a tactical reset and are looking to sharpen their edge under Rodolfo Arruabarrena.
Form and key players
Newell's have won 4 of their last 10 and lost just 2 across all competitions, a steady run that suggests they're a hard team to beat. Boca Juniors are a more volatile team, with 5 wins, 1 draw and 4 defeats in their last 10.
- At home, they have won 2, drawn 3 and lost 1 of 6 in all competitions.
- Matias Coccaro has 1 goal in 1 match in the Liga Profesional – Clausura 2026, and is Newell's main scoring outlet.
- On the road, Boca have won 4 and lost 2 of 6 in all competitions, scoring 1.50 goals and conceding just 0.50 goals.
- Miguel Merentiel has been Boca's spark recently, with 2 goals in their last 5, during which they have bagged 5 times.
Tight game expected
This looks set to be a tense, close game and Newell's will want to make it a scrappy matchup and avoid giving the game any room. Boca will be the more positive and have more chance of making it a higher-scoring game by stretching the field and making it a transition game, which should suit them.
Boca have won 2 of the last 3 head-to-heads away from home, so they won't be scared by Newell's or the home crowd. We think Boca will avoid defeat, so we're taking them in the double chance market. Under 2.5 goals looks a good bet, so we're going for a 0-1 or 1-1 type result that plays into the under lean, with Boca's head-to-head edge meaning the away team are the smart bet.
