The America vs Tigres Liga MX Liguilla (Playoffs) first leg match will start this Sunday, November 24, 2013 (3:00 PM Pacific) at the Estadio Universitario in Monterrey. Club America is the big favorite coming into this series, and Tigres will have to play 180 minutes of perfect soccer in order to have a realistic shot at defeating the best team in Mexico.
Club America finished the season as the #1 seed, thanks to the 37 points it accumulated through the 17 games of the regular season. Club America had the best defense in the league, with just 12 allowed, and the third best offense, with 31 goals scored. Miguel Herrera has done an excellent job at maintaining the momentum earned last season, when Club America won the Liga MX title.
Miguel Herrera has been so good, in fact, that his Club America squad was called upon to save Mexico from its horrible World Cup qualifying campaign. After Mexico – then coached by Vucetich- barely slumped into the intercontinental playoff against New Zealand, the FMF decided to place Herrera as head coach, and allowed him to use Club America as the base for the Mexican National Team.
Miguel Herrera ended up calling 10 Club America players into the Mexican National Team, as well as a handful of other players from the Liga MX. In the end, the Mexican National Team achieved its goal of qualifying to the playoffs by easily defeating New Zealand 9-3 on aggregate. Due to his success with the National squad, Herrera will likely leave Club America once the liguilla ends.
Although the Club America players that traveled to New Zealand are probably still suffering from jet lag, Herrera has stated that he will use eight of them in his starting lineup against Tigres. Tigres defeated America 1-0 on October 29, a Club America that was missing ten key players. This time around, Tuca and his players will be facing a team that took Mexico to the World Cup.
Tigres is the weakest team that qualified to the Apertura 2013 liguilla. Tigres qualified to the playoffs on the very last match day of the regular season, with just 25 points, barely enough to secure the 8th seed. Tigres was an inconsistent squad all season long, and was only able to qualify to the playoffs, due to having the fortune of facing a weakened Club America in late October. Tuca will have to set a perfect strategy if he wants to travel to Mexico City with a lead.
America vs Tigres Prediction
Club America was the best away team in the regular season, earning 15 out of a possible 27 points. In contrast, Tigres was only able to win 3 out of the 9 matches it played at home. All stats are heavily in favor of Club America, there is no doubting that. Furthermore, Club America’s morale must be sky high, as they can boast that they were responsible for taking Mexico to the World Cup. Meanwhile, Tigres qualified to the playoffs thanks to a series of fortuitous events.
Miguel Herrera will end his tenure with Club America once the playoffs end, and head on to lead the Mexican National Team in the World Cup. Herrera and his players will want to add to his legacy by achieving Club America’s first ever bicampeonato (in the short season history of the Liga MX). In the first leg at Monterrey, I simply do not see Tuca being able to outmaneuver Herrera. The America vs Tigres first leg playoff will end in a 2-0 away victory for Club America. It will take more than a team that stumbled into the playoffs to stop the team that is a huge favorite to win the league.
America vs Tigres TV Schedule
The America vs Tigres match will be televised this Sunday, November 24, 2013 on Univision Deportes at 3:00 PM Pacific.
America vs Tigres Highlights
