The Chivas vs Leon Copa MX match will be held this Wednesday, September 18, 2013 (7:00 PM Pacific), at the Camp Nou in Leon. Leon and Chivas are tied with 12 points each in Group 6 of the Copa MX, these teams will play each other twice to finish off group play, the winner of the series moving on to the knockout round of the Copa MX (Dorados & Necaxa are mathematically eliminated).
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Update: The Leon vs Chivas Copa MX match held at the Nou Camp ended 1-1. Next Wednesday’s match at the Estadio Omnilife will decide which team goes on to the quarterfinal.
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Chivas has had a pretty terrible season so far, accumulating just 7 points through 9 matches. Given that the playoffs are most likely out of reach for Chivas, it appears the Copa MX might be the only thing to offer some sort of success this season. Coach Ortega has decided to use a fairly strong side for his match against Leon.
This is the expected lineup for Chivas in the Copa MX match against Leon: Luis Michel, Abraham Coronado, Víctor Perales, Néstor Vidrio, Kristian Álvarez, Giovanni Hernández, Jorge Enríquez, Patricio Araujo, Marco Fabián, Carlos Fierro and Miguel Sabah.
On the other side of the pitch we have Leon, which is having a good season and appears headed towards the Liga MX playoffs. Leon currently sits in third place with 19 points through 10 Liga MX matches. The Esmeraldes would love nothing more than to add a successful run in the Copa MX to their already good season.
It is interesting to note that this will be the first of three matches that Chivas and Leon will play against each other in the next 7 days. After this Copa MX match, they will play over the weekend as part of the Liga MX (in Leon), and once again next Wednesday in Guadalajara to finish off Copa MX group play.
Chivas vs Leon Copa MX Prediction
This match will be a close encounter, as Chivas will be using several key players, while Leon will be hoping to utilize the home field to its advantage. Given that Leon is prioritizing the Liga MX over the Copa MX, I expect them to use an alternate side. Look for Chivas to come out with a close 2-1 win that places them very close to the Copa MX quarterfinals.
