Boca Juniors and Benfica start their 2025 Club World Cup Group C campaigns at Florida’s Hard Rock Stadium on Monday.
Boca boss Miguel Angel Russo names his first side in his third spell as manager of the club, having first been appointed in 2007.
Benfica finished second in the 2024/25 Portuguese Primeira Liga, ending the season on a 15-game unbeaten league run but finishing two points behind champions Sporting.
101GreatGoals.com has you covered for the line-ups, team news and confirmed starting sides for Boca Juniors vs Benfica in the 2025 Club World Cup.
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Boca Juniors lineup vs Benfica
Boca Juniors striker Edinson Cavani is recovering from a tear but could be back for their second group stage game against Bayern Munich on Friday.
Marco Pellegrino has trained separately while he recovers from a torn muscle but fellow defender Luis Advincula and winger Malcom Braida are available again.
Ayrton Costa was initially denied a Visa because of a probationary sentence he accepted in 2023 to avoid trial for an alleged aggravated robbery in 2018, but the centre-back was eventually allowed to join his team.
“We are Boca – we are huge and we don’t forget that,” said Costa. “I’m happy to be here. I thank the club for holding on until the end and Russo for putting me on the list.
“They told me they would confirm the visa by email, but they didn’t send anything and they called me from an unknown number about four times. I didn’t want to answer, but I did and that’s when they told me to go and get it.
“The first person I told that I had permission was my mother. She was anxious and she’s the one who’s always there when the lights go out. She was very happy.
“I’m tired from the trip but I’m really excited. The team is really hungry and eager for glory.”
Boca Juniors starting XI: Marchesin; Advincula, Battaglia, Blanco, Palacios; Costa, Figal, Herrera, Merentiel; Velasco, Zenon
Benfica lineup vs Boca Juniors
Right-back Alexander Bah and midfielder Manu have not played for Benfica since suffering knee injuries within minutes of each other in February.
Defender Tomas Araujo was linked with a move to Chelsea last week and forward Vangelis Pavlidis could be a player to watch, having produced 19 goals and seven assists in the league last season – the most direct goal involvements in the Portuguese top flight of anyone except Sporting’s Viktor Gyokeres.
Benfica starting XI: Trubin; Dahl, Otamendi, Antonio Silva, Carreras; Renato Sanches, Florentino, Aursnes; Bruma, Pavlidis, Di Maria
How to watch Boca Juniors v Benfica: Live stream, TV channel
Kick-off on Monday is at 23:00 BST, with free live coverage on Channel 5 starting at 22:45.
John Obi Mikel, Sami Khedira, Ronaldo, Christian Vieri, Shay Given, Callum Wilson, Andros Townsend, Ade Oladipo, Kelly Somers and Fabrizio Romano are among the broadcaster’s pundits and presenters.
The co-commentators are Andros Townsend, Michael Brown, Brad Friedel, Rob Green, Danny Higginbotham, Don Hutchison, Jonas Olsson and Anita Asante.
A highlights and analysis show, The Press, will be presented by James Alcott and Julien Laurens and analyse each day’s games on 5’s streaming service.
