River in Need of Immediate Change

River Plate's situation is the most delicate. The team led by Eduardo Coudet arrives at the eighth-finals in a crisis and with the urgency to immediately change course. On Saturday, they lost to Tigre in the Argentine league and have now suffered six consecutive defeats in AFA-organized tournaments, their worst run of results ever.

Since May, River has lost all six matches it played and could not even secure a draw. The Sudamericana appears as an opportunity to change direction but also as a threat for a cycle that is under pressure.

"We have to stop this now," Coudet said. And the coach himself recognized the weight of the moment: "I know where I am. It's a very complex situation losing so many consecutive matches."

The first test will be on Wednesday at 21:30 against Independiente Santa Fe in Bogotá. The Colombian team hopes to take advantage of its home field to deepen River's poor form.

The return match will be exactly a week later: Wednesday, August 19, also at 21:30, with River as the host. There, Coudet's team aims to secure their qualification for the quarter-finals in a series that could have much broader consequences than just the sporting result.

Boca Facing One of the Copa's Revelations

Boca Juniors is in a different present but also has no room for relaxation. The team led by Rodolfo Arruabarrena showed improvement, but they came from drawing with Vélez in the Argentine league and their international journey during the year left several surprises.

Boca was eliminated in May from the group stage of the Libertadores by Universidad Católica de Chile and then struggled to stay alive in the Sudamericana: they needed penalties to eliminate O'Higgins in the playoffs.

Now, they will face Deportivo Recoleta, a Paraguayan debutant who was one of the big revelations of the group stage. They finished first in a zone where they left behind Santos and San Lorenzo, defeating them in Buenos Aires for their qualification.

The series will begin this Tuesday at 19:00 and the return match will be on Tuesday, August 18, also at 19:00.