Marcos Rojo (Mouth) and Ignacio Fernandez (River) held the press conference prior to Sunday’s Superclásico in Córdoba, for the quarterfinals of the League Cup. Both footballers speak at the AFA’s Lionel Andrés Messi facility in Ezeiza.
“It’s very nice to play a classic. For me it is one of the best in the world. We have to be proud to be part of that. In the last games we have found better functioning. We have to continue improving”Fernandez said. Rojo, for his part, added: “It is a very important game for us and all the people of Boca. To those who are debuting, enjoy. I love playing this game. I hope we continue to grow. We are coming down a good path. The game is key for the future for us.”
The Boca defender also referred to his physical formand the injury suffered before Gymnastics and Jump Shooting at the beginning of the season: “I feel very good. I had a good preseason. I was unlucky with the injury before the first game. It was difficult for me to return. I was adding minutes. It was spoken. It was the idea. On Tuesday I felt very good. We played a large part with one less player. I felt very good and I am in one of my best moments physically.”
FernándezRIver midfielder, also spoke about what this superclásico means with the two sides on the field: “Playing a classic again with both fans it’s going to be very nice. I hope everything is peaceful and it will be a celebration for Argentine football. We deserve that. The latest classics, the public always feels. Locally we have 85 thousand people who push us. It’s a plus for us. I hope it is a classic in peace and everyone can enjoy it as a family.”.
The memory of the Superclásicos that did not play
When asked about the parties that they saw from outside and which had been the ones that marked them the most Rojo such as Fernández, the Boca defender told an anecdote from his youth. “I remember watching the one from Román’s prison, who is saved and then puts it in with his head. That day I remember that I had been close to home watching the game with my brother because he looked confused, I don’t remember. I had to go see it somewhere and I remember that it was raining and it was full of people. So, that game stuck in my mind.“, recalled the defender trained in Estudiantes de La Plata who played football in Portugal, Russia and England. That day, the current president of Boca celebrated with Topo Gigio.
At your turn, Nacho Fernandez He also spoke about his own, much further back in time: “I am one who also lived from outside. I wasn’t on the river yet.r. It was in the Bombonera with goals from Manu (Lanzini) and Ramiro (Funes Mori). I think that also began to mark the path a little in recent years in the history of the classics. That left me quite marked”.
The importance of the Superclásico
“The superclásico is the most important of everything I have had to play, Without a doubt. Because of how you live during the week, the day before, the day of the game, the people. Everything that this super classic entails, I think it is the most important classic that I have had to play throughout my career. And I have played Argentina vs. Brazil, City against United, and there is no comparison. The superclassic is more important,” Rojo said.
In this sense, Fernández contributed about the latest editions of the game that “do not matter.” And he continued: “This is a different game, it is defining. Each one prepares it in the best way. We will try to counteract the game they are playing. Try to handle the ball as we always try. And achieve a victory that will give us a boost for everything that is to come.”.
What if there are penalties?
River does not seem to be too concerned about the possibility of playing for a place in the League Cup semi-finals. from the twelve steps. Nor, that in the arc of Boca there is a specialist like Sergio “Chiquito” Romero. Ignacio Fernández addressed the topic: “We do not have a definition for penalties in mind. We know that there could be, obviously, a penalty shootout. But we are going to go look for the result. We want to win in the 90 minutes and we are going to try to achieve that. With our weapons, with our game. We will try to win the game in the 90s and if penalties come later, try to win on penalties, because we also have a lot of confidence. A great goalkeeper, world champion, so we are very confident”.
The conference served as an appetizer for the match, which will be played on Sunday from 3:30 p.m. in a stadium Mario Alberto Kempes which will look packed, with more than 50 thousand fans in its stands. To prevent incidents or excesses, an operation will be carried out that will involve three provinces (Buenos Aires, Santa Fe and Córdoba) and will mobilize nearly 2,000 troops in the Docta.
Tapia: “It is an honor to be the president of the best league in the world”
Claudio Tapia, president of the AFA, also spoke. He also did so as president of the Professional League. And he praised the values of Argentine football and the format of the League Cup, discussed from some sectors due to the injustice of not rewarding those who finished first or second in their areas with a sporting advantage, having to face the third and fourth places in the other without any type of advantage. “It is the most exciting game in all of South America. We, as Argentines, think that of the world. After seven years, being able to have this Superclásico in our domestic soccer with both sides. More than 1,420 accredited journalists. 420 foreign journalists. It will be televised live in 79 countries. I think those are some of the numbers that frame the importance it has for us. Congratulate both teams, thank them for continuing to do what they do in our football. This year we are going to have three Superclásicos, something we did not expect. A very, very exciting League Cup final between Monday and Tuesday, where the classifications changed in seconds or minutesTapia said.
And he continued: “Without a doubt, those who are speaking to you are proud to be the president of the best league in the world. I think we are lucky to be able to enjoy, to be able to have this superclassic this weekend. May it be in peace, may we all accompany those who generate the true spectacle, who are the players. May the behavior of the fans be what we all deserve. Let us understand that it is simply a football game. Which is nothing more than 90-95-98 minutes. That we are rivals, not enemies”.
Ignacio Villarroelvice president of Rivery Juan roman riquelme, president of Boca, also said a few words at the end of the conference. “It is surely the most important classic in the world. From our side we invite everyone to enjoy it. To show the world what a River vs. Mouth. Thanks to the province of Córdoba for receiving us. The message is what the president of the AFA just said: enjoy it, to live it with joy, with family, with friends. Those who go and those who don’t. The most important thing is that we live this superclassic in peace,” Villarroel asked.
RiquelmeFor his part, he assessed: “For me it is a privilege to be here. Being able to accompany the captain of our team makes me very happy too. We are very happy to represent our club on Sunday. But this is a football game. That you enjoy, that you live in a special way. That people are excited. We have to understand that it’s a soccer game .It is sport, it is competing, competing and competing. We have the hope of winning and playing a good game. On Monday one will win and the other will be burdened as has happened all his life. It is normal that the Superclásico is played. In short tournaments it is logical that we begin to face each other more often. cWe trust in what we have. The only thing I want is for people to enjoy it a lot.”.
The tickets for the match, corresponding to the last of the quarterfinals of the League Cup Professional, they began to be sold this Friday through the platform Deportick. Boca and River will have the same number of tickets available: 25 mil. Its price? $31,500 for the popular and $84 thousand for the audience. It is assumed that there will be a “sold out” sign.
Regarding sports, River y Boca They agreed to this Sunday’s meeting after having finished first and fourth, respectively, in their areas. On the last date, the Millionaire won in Córdoba Institute by 3 to 1 (three goals from Facundo Colidio), while Boca defeated in their stadium Godoy Cruz by 1 to 0 thanks to a conquest of the Uruguayan Edinson Cavani. The bad news for the xeneize team was the expulsion of Crisitan Medina. Being suspended, the midfielder will miss the Superclásico.