The Strongest and Boca Juniors kick off their Copa Libertadores campaign on Wednesday when they lock horns at the Estadio Hernando Siles.
Boca Juniors are the second-most successful side in the history of the competition, and they will now look to equal Independiente's seven title wins.
Match preview
© Reuters
The Strongest continued their impressive domestic form last time out as they claimed a 3-0 win against Jorge Wilstermann.
They have picked up three wins and one draw from their opening four games in the Bolivian Division Professional and will aim to build on this run in their first Group C game on Wednesday.
Tigre's last outing at the South American tournament came back in 2018, when they finished last in Group C after conceding 13 goals and losing five out of six games.
The Strongest's best-ever finish at the tournament remains the round of 16, where they most recently got to in 2014 before losing to Defensor Sporting.
With both sides still level at the end of 180 minutes, the Uruguayan outfit would go on to grab a 4-2 penalty shoot-out win.
On the other hand, Boca Junior are one of the most dominant teams in the Copa Libertadores, having previously won the title on six occasions.
Their most recent title success came back in 2007 when they claimed a 5-0 aggregate win over Brazilian side Gremio in the final.
While Miguel Angel Russo's men have made it into two finals since then, they were beaten by Corinthians in 2012 and fellow Argentine side River Plate in 2018.
Xeneizes will now want to begin this year's edition on a positive note as they look to equal Independiente's record seven title wins.
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Team News
Alberto Illanes has the luxury of a fully fit squad at his disposal and we expect the 57-year-old to name his strongest starting XI.
With 14 goals scored in four league games, The Strongest are one of the most free-scoring sides in the tournament and their frontmen will play a huge role in deciding the final result.
On the other hand, Boca Juniors will be without the services of 34-year-old forward Mauro Zarate, who was hooked off with a 39th-minute injury last time out.
Colombian midfielder Edwin Cardona has been in excellent form for the visitors, scoring two goals and registering five assists in five games, and we expect the 28-year-old to return to the starting XI after he was rested last week.
Boca Juniors have failed to keep a clean sheet in each of their last four games, but Russo will most likely stick to his preferred three-man defence, with Carlos Izquierdoz playing at the centre.
The Strongest possible starting lineup:
D Vaca; Chavez, Castillo, Marteli; Sagredo, Wayar, Castro, R Vaca; Chura, Rafinha, Reinoso
Boca Juniors possible starting lineup:
Rossi; Buffarini, Lopez, Izquierdoz, Fabra; Medina, Varela, Almendra; Cano, Tevez, Zarate
We say: The Strongest 1-2 Boca Juniors
Boca Juniors are one of the most experienced sides in the competition and we fancy them to put that to good use and grab a narrow win on Wednesday.
Top tip
Joshua Ojele
Data Analysis
Our analysis of all available data, including recent performances and player stats up until an hour before kickoff, suggested the most likely outcome of this match was a Boca Juniors win with a probability of 48.98%. A draw had a probability of 26.6% and a win for The Strongest had a probability of 24.4%.
The most likely scoreline for a Boca Juniors win was 0-1 with a probability of 13.3%. The next most likely scorelines for that outcome were 0-2 (9.65%) and 1-2 (9.06%). The likeliest drawn scoreline was 1-1 (12.48%), while for a The Strongest win it was 1-0 (8.61%). The actual scoreline of 0-1 was predicted with a 13.3% likelihood. Our data analysis correctly predicted a 0-1 win for Boca Juniors in this match.
