The Santos vs Cruz Azul semifinal match will take place at the TSM in Torreon, this Thursday, May 16, 2013 at 7:00 PM Pacific. This will be the first leg of this semifinal series, which will be a contrast of styles. Cruz Azul has the most powerful offense in the Liga MX, while Santos has the best defense. Will defense prevail over offense, or will Cruz Azul get a shot at a *cough* real title (sorry, I don’t count the Copa MX)?
The reason I put “Overachievers” in the title of this article is not to belittle either team (both have played very well this season), but to point out a simple fact. Cruz Azul and Santos were both the lower seeded teams in their respective quarterfinal series, and (obviously) both won. The #6 (Santos) and #5 (Cruz Azul) seeds now have a chance at moving on to dispute the Liga MX championship.
Santos arrived to the semifinal stage by defeating a truly overachieving Atlas, a team that can count this as a successful season. Santos tied the first leg at home 0-0, and were able to defeat Atlas 3-1 at the Estadio Jalisco to win the series. Sure, they were aided a bit by bad reffing, they got lucky with an early red card given to Atlas’ goalkeeper, and Oswaldo Sanchez is no doubt a bit of an ass. Nonetheless, Santos did play well, played it smart, and took care of the opportunity handed to them. Santos will prove to be a tough opponent to Cruz Azul.
Cruz Azul got through to the semifinal stage in electric fashion, scoring 4 goals in the first leg, and virtually sealing the quarterfinal series win against Morelia. The 4-2 first leg victory at the Estadio Azul meant Morelia had to win by 2 goals at the Estadio Morelos. Cruz Azul played a much more defensive approach in the second leg, and were able to qualify by only losing 1-0. Cruz Azul will need that explosive offense to overcome Santos.
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Santos vs Cruz Azul Liguilla 2013 Prediction
The first leg of the Santos vs Cruz Azul semifinal will definitely not be like the explosive game we saw in the first leg of the Cruz Azul vs Morelia quarterfinal. In fact, expect to have a match that resembles the 0-0 draw between Atlas and Santos. Santos will play the style Caixinha has taught them, defense first, and offense later. Cruz Azul is likely to hold off on aggressive attacking until the return leg at the Estadio Azul.
The Santos vs Cruz Azul first leg will end in a draw, either 0-0 or 1-1. Due to Cruz Azul’s outstanding scoring record, I’m going to predict a 1-1 draw that gives Cruz Azul a fantastic chance to move on to the Liga MX final.
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Santos vs Cruz Azul Liguilla Television
The Santos vs Cruz Azul match will be shown on Univision Deportes this Thursday, May 16, 2013 at 7:00 PM Pacific.
