The biggest rivalry in Argentina resumes on Sunday

	Tempers run hot in the Superclásico: In their last meeting in May, Rolando Schiavi (2) and Boca Juniors edged archrival River Plate 2-1. AP

By Gregory Sica, Special to SI.com

Buenos Aires will come to a standstill on Sunday as Argentina's two biggest clubs, River Plate and Boca Juniors, face off in another edition of the eagerly anticipated Superclásico -- one of the biggest derbies in world soccer. For this face-off between the bitter enemies (their 293rd meeting), the stage is River's intimidating El Monumental Stadium.

What gives the Superclásico a bit of a twist this time is the fact that the rivals are in the middle of highly contrasting seasons. Boca sits at the top of the Apertura Championship table with 23 points from 10 matches, while River is languishing in 10th, 10 points behind its eternal enemies. Making things even more humiliating for River, it was recently eliminated from the Copa Sudamericana tournament at the hands of Corinthians, the Brazilian team whose star is former Boca idol Carlos Tevez. Meanwhile, Boca Juniors advanced to the quarterfinals in stunning form, crushing Paraguayan champions Cerro Porteno 5-1 and winning by a huge 7-3 aggregate score.

The Fans

The social diversity between both teams' supporters is always an interesting backdrop. River Plate's fans are mainly the upper class of Buenos Aires. This is partly due to the fact that Monumental Stadium is located in the posh Nuñez neighborhood (which is why the club's nickname is the Millonarios). Boca's fan base is generally associated with working-class people, as the team's Bombonera stadium is located in the city's bohemian district of La Boca. In fact, the team's nickname, Los Xeneizes (literally, the Genovese), comes from the Italian immigrants who established the club in 1905.

Club Achievements

Both clubs have rich histories, both in South America and in world soccer. Between them, they have won more than 50 league championships since 1931, which is a majority of all titles won by Argentine clubs.

Boca's trophy chest is particularly full: It has been crowned South American champions on five occasions (1977, '78, '00, '01 and '03), their most recent Copa Libertadores title coming under former manager Carlos Bianchi with a 5-1 aggregate crushing of Brazil's Santos -- a high-profile team that boasted the likes of international stars Robinho, Diego and Ricardo Oliveira. The Xeneizes have also won the Intercontinental Cup -- the European/South American competition now called the FIFA Club World Championship -- three times. Just last season, they added the Copa Sudamericana to their collection.

Although its award cabinet may not be as extensive, River Plate still possesses a number of titles that are the envy of many of the world's other clubs. River's international record includes two Copa Libertadores ('86, '96), an Intercontinental Cup, a Super Cup and a Copa Interamericana (now defunct).