And Then There Were Two - Its Boca Or Tigre For The Title

At the end of game one of this dramatic, title-deciding, three-way playoff for the 2008 Argentine Apertura league championship any Tigre fans contemplating their team's title prospects could have been easily forgiven for feeling decidedly pessimistic and glum. A 2-1 defeat to San Lorenzo in the first game of the triangular meant that any hopes of ending a 106 year wait for league glory were beginning to look increasingly faint.

Boca Juniors however, have saved them.

The Xeneizes beat San Lorenzo 3-1 one on Saturday at Racing's ground in Avellaneda, and the result not only ended San Lorenzo's chances of winning the league but also inadvertently let Tigre back in with a most wonderful, and welcome, second chance. As a result, in what is an outcome the Argentine Football Association (AFA) can only have dreamed of, Boca Juniors will now play Tigre on Tuesday in a one-off game that will decide the league title. Yes, this one is going to the wire.

Judging the triangular against the backdrop of how it could have turned out, this is the perfect scenario. The AFA's organisation for the play-off was ill-thought out and could well have resulted in a dud of a clash between Boca and a Tigre side already eliminated. If Boca Juniors had drawn against San Lorenzo at the weekend, Tigre would not have been able to catch Miguel Angel Russo's side at the top of the table. Still obliged to play their second game of the triangular against Boca though, this would have left a devastated, disheartened Tigre side taking part in the deciding fixture of a title they had just blown, with San Lorenzo's fate in their hands. Certainly not ideal.

Luckily Boca acted most spiritedly in the face of constant murmurs from the press about match fixing, dodgy deals and brown paper bags and finished the job off handsomely against San Lorenzo to set up this most mouth-watering of final clashes for the right to be called champions. Boca therefore deserve congratulating for their gentlemanly conduct and for acting in the spirit of fair play.
So then, after nineteen hard-fought league games and two exciting, dramatic playoff clashes, it will be Boca Juniors against Tigre for the title. Nobody at Tigre, not even the most partisan, optimistic head-in-the-clouds dreamer of a fan expected it to come to this. But it does. In terms of trophy counts, on Tuesday night the board will read either number twenty-three or number one. The team from the Bombonera have 22 previous league trophies to their name. El Matador are desperately seeking that elusive first. It will not be easy for Diego Cagna's men. Because of an inferior goal difference they must beat the Argentine giants by more than two goals in order to win the league. 1-0 Tigre would be enough for Boca.

The buzz amongst those associated with both clubs is fast approaching fever pitch. Several fans slept outside Racing's stadium to be there early to purchase one of the 32,500 tickets made available. Tickets are going for a face value of around 200 Argentinian pesos (roughly £40 GBP or $60 USD), almost four times the usual average entry price in Argentina. Regardless, the price hike has deterred no-one.

Heading into the match the mood within the Tigre camp was one of cautious optimism. 'It will be difficult but not impossible,' midfielder Matias Gimenez told sports daily Ole. 'This is a great chance to show that we can compete with Boca, one of the best teams in the world,' he stated after a training session on the eve of the game. El Matador beat Boca at the Bombonera 3-2 on matchday 7 of the Apertura, but will have to do even better than that if they are to triumph in what represents the biggest game in the club's history to date.

Two players who will miss out through suspension are keeper Daniel Islas and midfielder Diego Castaño. Islas was sent off for needlessly shoving Pablo Barrientos during the 2-1 defeat to San Lorenzo, while Castaño also picked up a yellow card and is forced to sit out. His replacement in midfield is likely to be Jonatan Blanco, who scored an own goal against Boca in that 3-2 Tigre victory back in September. Luis Ardente should come in for Islas.

With regards Boca Juniors all the talk pre-match has focussed on just what Los Bosteros will do without Juan Roman Riquelme. The iconic Boca playmaker is also suspended for the clash and in his absence attention has turned towards predicting what formation coach Carlos Ischia will employ against El Matador.

Ischia is known to prefer a 4-3-1-2 formation in which Riquelme acts as the creative hub of the side, sitting in just behind the two strikers and carving out openings. With Roman out however Ischia might favour switching to a 4-4-2 with Cristian Chavez down the right-hand side of midfield and Alvaro Gonzalez alongside Sebastian Battaglia at centre mid. Alternatively Ischia could stick to his tried and tested formation but utilise Leandro Gracian in the number 10 role. Juan Forlin is definitely out after the sickening head injury he suffered against San Lorenzo, and will be replaced by Facundo Roncaglia.

The two previous games in this triangular series have been a joy to watch, filled with all the drama, excitement and emotion that Argentine football is often known for. With Tigre needing to win by a two goal margin this final, championship-deciding fixture should be no different. Interestingly enough, heading into the match Boca striker Rodrigo Palacio caused a stir by claiming that Tigre are actually a better team than his own - a statement that, when asked to deny, he merely reiterated.

Palacio has since elaborated on this by remarking that while he thinks Boca possess finer individual talents Tigre are the more cohesive unit, stronger as a team. Whether mind games or simply his honest opinion, the accuracy of Palacio's statement will soon be revealed out on the pitch, with the most glittering of prizes at stake for the winner.