The second leg of the Xolos Tijuana vs Toluca liguilla final will take place on Sunday, December 2, 2012 (7:00 PM EDT) at the Estadio Nemesio Diez in Toluca. The first leg was played in Tijuana on Thursday, and Xolos came out with the advantage as they took out a 2-1 victory. On Sunday, the last game of the Apertura 2012 will be played, and Club Tijuana is close to making history if they were to win their first title. Meanwhile, Toluca is down by one goal, but that is not too complicated considering they play at home and they do not have the pressure to defend, but rather to do nothing else but attack.
Xolos won the first game of the series because they pressured their rival, because they were fierce on the midfield, and because they wanted the win more than their rivals; and maybe also, as some critics may argue, because of miscalls by the ref that lead to Tijuana’s 2nd goal. Regardless of the actions on the field, the border team is in Toluca awaiting their big night in which they could become Liga MX champions in only their third season in the big leagues.
To accomplish this, they need to protect their biggest strength which is their mentality. Xolos is a team without major stars, but their mentality has allowed this ‘small’ team to go into any stadium, against any rival, and in any situation to play hard for a good result. Their biggest challenge will be against Toluca because although they have a one goal lead, their mentality amongst other things will decide if they are the best team in the league. Forward Duvier Riascos will be significant for Tijuana because Xolos will be conservatively therefore Riascos will be crucial on their counter-attack system.
While Xolos know they have the temporary lead, Toluca knows nothing has been decided. The ‘diablos rojos’ are one goal away from tying the series therefore on Sunday they will create an attacking formation right off the start to attempt to create an early goal which would put all the pressure on Tijuana. There are no room for mistakes, therefore players like Luis Tejada and Edgar Benitez will need to take care of the few goal scoring situations that will be given to them.
Xolos Tijuana vs Toluca Prediction
Even after losing their first match, Toluca comes into this game as finalist favorites. It is difficult to imagine Toluca not scoring in the most important game of their past couple of years and in front of their crowd. Therefore, a goal is certain to go in favor of the home team. But the final prediction lies solely on the starting lineup Antonio Mohamed provides: if he goes defensive-minded with Fidel Martinez on the bench and Leandro Augusto as the starter, then, my prediction is Toluca will be this season’s champs. But the Xolos coach mentioned he will not change his style therefore if he keeps his word, Neymar will start and Xolos will win the season. The Xolos Tijuana vs Toluca score will be 1-1.
Xolos Tijuana vs Toluca Television
The Xolos Tijuana vs Toluca second leg final will be televised on Univision on Sunday, December 2, 2012 at 7:00 PM EDT.
